NEA Baptist CEO discusses regional healthcare impact, changes

Just a couple of years after NEA Baptist opened a $400 million hospital in Jonesboro, there is even more room for growth now and into the future with new doctors being hired this year, the hospital’s new CEO for the Jonesboro market said Wednesday (Feb. 3).

Brad Parsons was recently appointed to serve as the CEO and will be in charge of NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, NEA Baptist Clinic and the NEA Baptist Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care, hospital officials announced last month.

Parsons became the CEO of NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in 2012 and started with the hospital system in 2008. The Birmingham, Ala., native has worked as either an assistant administrator or administrator at Baptist hospitals in Columbus, Miss., and Union City, Tenn., before moving to Jonesboro.

In addition to the work at the hospital, Parsons also serves on the boards of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Jonesboro Economic Development Council.

REGIONAL IMPACT
The Memphis-based hospital merged with NEA Clinic in 2010, bringing about 80 doctors into the system, Parsons said, noting the partnership between both groups has flourished. The hospital then began the project to build the $400 million facility along U.S. 49 in Jonesboro. Since then, the area around the hospital has grown with several restaurants and new office buildings.

Before the move, the hospital, for many years, was located on U.S. 63 just minutes from a busy intersection. Parsons said the move to the 85-acre site allowed the hospital to put its operations in one area, linking the hospital to several clinics.

“All of those factors, it is positioned to where Jonesboro is growing,” Parsons said of the new location. “We are excited to see the growth.”

Parsons said the hospital draws patients from about a 10- to 12-county area in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri.

“We have a huge footprint,” Parsons said.

Typically, people in Northeast Arkansas who need medical help go to the hospitals in Jonesboro, Paragould, Walnut Ridge, Blytheville and Osceola while those who need specialized care go to Little Rock or Memphis. But Parsons said Jonesboro has seen an increase in health care services and options for area residents.

“We are very blessed in Northeast Arkansas with facilities unmatched,” Parsons said.

NEW DOCTORS, MEDICAL SCHOOL
As for NEA Baptist, Parsons said the hospital system works under an integrated business model with efficiency and customer need a huge part of the equation. Another key part of the hospital’s growth is physician recruitment. Parsons said the hospital plans to hire 10 to 20 new physicians this year, noting the hirings will create growth for the hospital and improve access for patients. The new doctors will be a cross section of specialty fields and general practice, Parsons said.

The hospital recently hired Dr. Angela Frost to work in the radiology department. Frost has training in mammography and total body and musculoskeletal MRI, hospital officials said Tuesday.

Another area where physician recruitment may play a role is the new osteopathy school at Arkansas State University. ASU and the New York Institute of Technology announced plans last year for the school, which will be housed at Wilson Hall on the ASU campus.

The school, three miles away from NEA Baptist, is set to have at least 120 students when it opens this summer, university officials said last year. Danial Reed, a spokesman for NEA Baptist, said the new school will help the hospital system recruit doctors, especially doctors who are from the region.

“It is a huge benefit,” Reed said. “It is especially a benefit for those who train, grew up in the community and want to give back to the community.”