Singing River Health System Names Pat Shirey as Chief Ambulatory Officer

Singing River Health System is proud to announce Pat Shirey as its new Chief Ambulatory Officer. Shirey brings more than three decades of healthcare experience and a distinguished record of executive leadership to the organization. 

Shirey joins Singing River from Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas, one of the largest academic public health systems in the nation, where she most recently served as Vice President of Clinic Operations for Ambulatory Services. In this role, she oversaw a large network of primary and specialty care clinics across Dallas County, supporting more than 528,000 annual specialty visits.  

Throughout her career, Shirey has led transformational initiatives to improve access and efficiency, increasing provider productivity by 20%, and significantly decreasing patient wait times—from six to nine months to under 30 days in primary care and 45 days in specialty care. 

She also played a key role in expanding access through the development and opening of two major multi-specialty ambulatory facilities, Ron J. Anderson Clinic and Moody Outpatient Center, adding hundreds of exam rooms and increasing care capacity for hundreds of thousands of patients annually. 

“Pat’s deep expertise in ambulatory operations and her proven ability to expand access to care make her an exceptional addition to our leadership team,” said Laurin St. Pé, CEO of Singing River Health System. “Her vision and experience will play a critical role as we continue to grow and meet the evolving healthcare needs of the Gulf Coast.” 

In accepting the role, Shirey shared, “I am honored to join Singing River Health System as Chief Ambulatory Officer. I look forward to partnering with our physicians and teams to expand access, strengthen care coordination, enhance the patient experience, and continue building on Singing River’s strong foundation of delivering high-quality, patient-centered care to the communities we serve across the Gulf Coast.” 

Shirey holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington, along with a Master of Science in Health Care Administration and a forthcoming Master of Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University. She is board certified as an Advanced Nurse Executive (NEA-BC) and in Ambulatory Care Nursing (AMB-BC) and is a recipient of the Dallas-Fort Worth (DSW) Great 100 Nurses Award. 

She is relocating to the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her husband and is the mother of three adult children. A dedicated mentor and community advocate, Shirey previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala and looks forward to becoming an active member of the community while supporting Singing River’s mission of improving health and saving lives.