Carol Koenecke-Grant joins Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota as new Chief Strategy Officer

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is pleased to welcome Carol Koenecke-Grant as the new chief strategy officer (CSO). Koenecke-Grant joined the team in September and brings 20 years of strategic healthcare planning expertise to Children's.

Koenecke-Grant was most recently senior vice president of strategic planning and implementation at Guthrie Health System of Northern Pennsylvania and Southern New York, which is comprised of three hospitals and 23 clinics. Initially a clinician, Koenecke-Grant has built her healthcare career around a fundamental belief in patient-centered care and the importance of differentiation to drive organizational growth.

"Carol brings a keen, strategic eye to our business and a deep understanding of the changing healthcare landscape," said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, president and CEO of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. "She'll be a great asset in helping us grow core programs, expand our clinic footprint and evolve the patient family experience.

A Wisconsin native, Koenecke-Grant's career has taken her across the country, working for multi-disciplinary physician groups, for-profit and non-profit healthcare systems and academic medical centers. She even returned to her hometown for six years to run the family business while caring for an ailing parent. She received her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and her master's degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.

Koenecke-Grant said she is excited to help Children's bring continued discipline and focus to the work inside the organization, all while providing the best possible experience for the patients and families it serves.

"At the end of the day, we want the patient-family experience to be second to none, so much so that people couldn't imagine going anywhere else for the care of their children," said Koenecke-Grant. "This organization has a wonderful story to tell, filled with exceptional people, programs and outcomes."

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota:
Serving as Minnesota's children's hospital since 1924, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health care organizations in the United States, with 347 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children's of Minnesota provides care through more than 12,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient clinic visits every year. Children's is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children. Please visit childrensMN.org.

SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota