Saint Agnes Healthcare Names Keith Vander Kolk New President and CEO

BALTIMORE, Dec. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Saint Agnes Healthcare, a member of Ascension, the nation's largest Catholic and not-for-profit health system, announced today that Keith Vander Kolk has joined the health system as its new vice president Ascension Health/president and CEO Saint Agnes Healthcare, effective December 14, 2015.

Vander Kolk succeeds Bonnie Phipps, who served as president and CEO for nine years before being promoted to senior vice president and group ministry operating executive of Ascension Health, overseeing Ascension health ministries throughout the United States, including Saint Agnes.

"Keith brings a great deal of experience, passion and vision to Saint Agnes," said Phipps. "At a time where there is great change in our industry, there is no doubt that Keith is the right person to lead Saint Agnes into the future."

"We are excited to have Keith lead Saint Agnes as we pursue our strategy of developing regional clinically integrated systems of care to support the delivery of compassionate, personalized care to all persons, especially those in poverty who are struggling the most," said Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, President, Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Ascension Health.

With more than 30 years of domestic and international healthcare management experience, Vander Kolk's expertise spans medical staff management and relations, health insurance and population health management, community relations, new business development, facility development and positioning, fiscal management, and strategic planning.

Prior to becoming president and CEO of Saint Agnes, Vander Kolk was employed with Johns Hopkins Medicine, most recently serving in Saudi Arabia as chief executive officer of Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare – a $1.3B joint venture between Johns Hopkins Medicine and Saudi Aramco. Vander Kolk was responsible for the operation of the entire organization, including a 330-bed health center, four outlying clinics, 82 contracted facilities, care of 350,000 members and nine executive-level direct reports.

"I look forward to contributing my experience toward continuing Saint Agnes' 150-year mission and legacy as a vibrant Catholic healthcare ministry by leading the overall strategy and operations of Saint Agnes Healthcare," said Vander Kolk. "As president and CEO, I plan to support all our associates and physicians as we realize the vision of Saint Agnes, strengthening the ministry with a keen focus on improving population health in the areas we serve and continuing to provide compassionate, personalized and high-quality care."

Vander Kolk earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, his MBA and his Master of Arts in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa.

About Saint Agnes Healthcare
For more than 150 years, Saint Agnes Healthcare has been dedicated to the art of healing by providing exceptional care to the greater Baltimore area, with a special focus on the poor and vulnerable. Saint Agnes Healthcare offers a full range of services on the hospital campus as well as locations and offerings throughout the community. Saint Agnes encompasses Saint Agnes Hospital, a full-service teaching hospital and the first Catholic hospital in Baltimore founded by the Daughters of Charity in 1862; Saint Agnes Medical Group, an extensive network of primary care, pediatric and OB/GYN physicians and specialists in locations throughout Baltimore and Howard County; Seton Imaging Center, offering the most advanced and safe imaging techniques provided by a team of board-certified radiologists; Gibbons Commons, a 32-acre mixed-use community being developed to improve the overall well-being of the community by providing innovative housing solutions, recreational facilities, healthy food options, urban green space, and medical office and administrative space to southwest Baltimore; and Saint Agnes Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money to strategically expand Saint Agnes, support supplemental education for its healthcare professionals, fund cutting-edge medical equipment and provide patient support. Saint Agnes Healthcare is a part of Ascension, the nation's largest Catholic and not-for-profit health system.

About Ascension
Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all with special attention to persons in poverty and struggling the most. In FY2015, Ascension provided nearly $2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Approximately 150,000 associates and 35,000 aligned providers serve in 1,900 sites of care – including 129 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities – in 24 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to healthcare delivery, Ascension subsidiaries provide a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension's own group purchasing organization.

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SOURCE Saint Agnes Healthcare