Merit Health Rankin transitions to Baptist Memorial Hospital; New CEO Named
Brandon, Miss., Oct. 6, 2026– Merit Health Rankin hospital transitioned to a Baptist Memorial Hospital with a new CEO on Oct. 1.
Brad Beattie, most recently chief operating officer for Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, will serve as administrator and CEO and will help lead the 134-bed hospital as it transitions to a Baptist Memorial Hospital.
I am excited to announce that Brad Beattie has been named administrator and CEO of our newest hospital in Rankin County. Brad’s strong results, commitment to operational excellence, connection to the community and experience with Mississippi Baptist Medical Center make him an ideal leader for Baptist Memorial Hospital in Rankin County. During the past four months, he has proactively led administrative and operational integration efforts for the hospital and has proven himself to be an excellent leader, capable of achieving remarkable results.
Beattie has more than 20 years of health care experience, starting his health care career as a clinic administrator with Genesis Physical Therapy Group in 2005. He was billing manager for MEA Medical Clinics from 2006 to 2010 and business operations manager for University Physicians PLLC in 2010 before joining Mississippi Baptist Health System. In 2010, he was chief operating officer for Jackson Heart Clinic. By 2014, he was named the executive director of clinic operations for MBMC’s medical group, where he supported a 170-provider group across 30 locations. His role in growing the medical group to more than 250 employed providers across Central Mississippi contributed to his promotion to chief operating officer for MBMC in 2018.
I am honored and excited to serve as the first Baptist Memorial Hospital administrator and CEO for Rankin County. Central Mississippi is my home, and I want to ensure my fellow Mississippians have access to exceptional care close to home. I look forward to getting to know the hospital team as we work together to advance health care for Rankin County.
Baptist Memorial committed to making significant investments to enhance the hospital and its services when Rankin County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on June 2 to assign the lease for Merit Health Rankin hospital and its operations to Baptist Memorial Health Care.
Baptist Memorial will host a news conference on Thursday, Oct. 22 to discuss the transition and future of Merit Health Rankin.
Merit Health Rankin is a 134-bed community-oriented hospital located at 350 Crossgates Blvd. in Brandon, Mississippi. The hospital is easily accessible from both Interstate 20 and Highway 80, and offers a wide range of diagnostic, emergency, inpatient and geriatric behavioral health services, including an 18-bed senior care program (geriatric psychiatry).
Baptist Memorial Health Care is one of the country’s largest not-for-profit health care systems and the largest provider of Medicaid in the region. Consistently ranking among the top integrated health care networks in the country, Baptist Memorial comprises 26 affiliate hospitals in West Tennessee, North and Central Mississippi and East Arkansas; a freestanding emergency department; more than 7,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group, a multispecialty physician group with more than 1,500 providers in 50 specialties; Baptist Cancer Center; home, hospice and psychiatric care; walk-in and urgent care clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system that includes Baptist Health Sciences University and a college of osteopathic medicine. Baptist Memorial employs more than 24,000 people, and in fiscal year 2024 contributed more than $388 million in community benefit and uncompensated care to the communities it serves. For more information, please visit www.baptistonline.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.com.
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