HARTZ Search Recruits Chief Wellness Officer for Louisiana Children’s Medical Center Health

April 25, 2023 – In these unprecedented times, comprehensive well-being (mental, emotional, physical, financial, and professional) in the workplace is important. How we support ourselves, and how we support others within our businesses – such as business partners, clients, and contacts – is crucial, according to a recent report by Forbes. The good news is that companies are progressively making the care of their people a top priority. This has led to the rise of the chief well-being officer. After an extensive national search, Charlotte, NC-based HARTZ Search recently assisted in the recruitment of Kristen Gradney as chief wellness officer of Louisiana Children’s Medical Center Health (LCMC Health). She will report directly to Christine Albert, the chief experience officer of LCMC Health.
HARTZ Search was charged with finding an innovative, collaborative leader who has significant experience at a senior executive leadership level within a healthcare system. Ms. Gradney fit that bill. She joins LCMC Health from Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health, where she has held multiple roles since 2013. She most recently was senior director of operations responsible for the strategic planning, operations, and population health programming for regional children’s health, including general pediatrics and specialty practices, and healthcare operations for East Baton Rouge Parish school system and charter schools. Prior to that, Ms. Gradney was operations director of the physicians group, where she had administrative and operational oversight of 12 physician practices and locations, including primary care practice, specialty practice, concierge medicine, and population health initiatives.
In her new position, Ms. Gradney will lead the design, direction, and implementation of a wellness program that addresses the current environment of burnout among clinicians, health professionals, and staff and the overall health and well-being of LCMC employees. She will facilitate system-wide changes that enable all LCMC employees to work in a culture that prioritizes and promotes professional fulfillment and optimizes the function of the health system. Ms. Gradney will lead these efforts that foster a well-coordinated, enterprise-wide culture that supports and promotes wellness and professional fulfillment, develops and implements best practices, and identifies opportunities for contemporary approaches to analytics and change management. Her goal is to facilitate system-wide changes that enable all LCMC employees to work in a culture that prioritizes and promotes professional fulfillment and optimizes the function of the health system.
Related: Hartz Search Recruits Chief Administrative Officer for East Jefferson General Hospital
Louisiana Children’s Medical Center Health is a local, integrated academic healthcare leader managing some of the region’s most respected hospitals. With Children’s Hospital, West Jefferson Medical Center, University Medical Center, and the New Orleans East Hospital, West Jefferson, and East Jefferson General they are stewards of a legacy that goes back more than 300 years.
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Established in 2017, HARTZ Search is an executive search firm that focuses on the healthcare and higher education sectors. In addition to its headquarters in Charlotte, NC, the firm has regional offices in Dallas and San Diego, CA. The firm’s clients include: Atrium Health, City of Hope – Cancer Research; Bon Secours Mercy Health; JPS Health Network; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech); University of Texas Southwestern at Dallas (UT Southwestern); and University of Wisconsin Health (UW Health).
HARTZ Search Recruits CEO for the University Medical Center New Orleans
HARTZ Search recently assisted in the recruitment of Emily Sedgwick as the new president and CEO of the University Medical Center New Orleans, an LCMC Health hospital. “Dr. Sedgwick is an accomplished leader in academic and non-academic medical systems with employed and affiliated physicians,” said Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health, the health system that manages University Medical Center. “Dr. Sedgwick’s 20 years of experience and leadership will help University Medical Center continue to serve as a world-class academic research hospital that trains the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
Mike Hartz is president and CEO of the firm. His diverse background in executive and physician search has given him unique experience in working with executives and physicians within the healthcare and higher education industries. During his 15 years in executive search, he has recruited over 200 executives and physicians nationwide. Mr. Hartz has used his background in customer service and business operations as well as his knowledge of national healthcare market trends in recruitment, practice management, and physician services to solidify his track record in recruiting for healthcare systems, facilities, and physician practices ranging in size from small rural to large medical centers.
Related: HARTZ Search Recruits Chief Talent Acquisition Officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media