Ray County Memorial Hospital has a new CEO. Jeff Bloemker, 48, succeeds Earl Sheehy, who recently retired. Bloemker opted to become Sheehy’s replacement because he was aware of the work being done at the Richmond-based hospital, including the clinical work that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recognized this year with a five-star rating, he said. “As I have started, what excites me is the genuine care and passion that every employee has for our community and the wonderful support that the community has for the hospital,” Bloemker said. Now residing in Smithville, Bloemker settles into his position after an upbringing that involved moving around the Midwest for a while because his father was a minister. Stops along the way included rural Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota. Eventually, Bloemker settled in the Kansas City metro area in the Northland, where he has lived the past 17 years, he said. Bloemker also is settling into the position…