Melanie Edens, most recently chief operating officer for NEA Baptist, has been selected to lead Baptist Memorial Hospital-Paragould as CEO and administrator following the retirement of Brad Bloemer.
Bloemer announced his plans to retire in February after serving as CEO of Arkansas Methodist Medical Center since July 2023. Edens moved into the role on March 1.
“Melanie Edens is a dynamic leader with vast knowledge and experience with health care in this region, and she has a special connection to this community,” said Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist. “This hospital is where she was born and where she completed her first clinical rotation as a student radiologic technologist in 1996. I have every confidence she’ll accomplish great things for health care in Paragould.”
Edens has more than 27 years of health care experience at NEA Baptist. She began her career with the organization as a student diagnostic CT technologist in 1998 and worked her way up to director of Radiology in 2003.
She was promoted to associate administrator in 2015 and COO in 2020. She has a bachelor’s degree in radiologic sciences and a master’s degree in business from Arkansas State University.
