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Hankes named Affinity vice president of Mission and Learning Services

07 / 23 / 2007

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MENASHA-Wis. Carrie Hankes, director of Affinity Learning Center and interim vice president of Mission Integration, has been appointed vice president, Mission and Learning Services for Affinity Health System.

Hankes will provide leadership in strategy and initiatives for Catholic identity, mission and values integration, ethics, spiritual care, community church relations, leadership formation and staff development and service excellence.  She will also serve as a member of the Affinity Executive Team and function as the key liaison between Affinity Health System and its sponsors, Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.

Hankes started her tenure with Affinity in 1991 as a registered nurse at Mercy Medical Center. She has served as interim vice president of Human Resources and has been the director of the Affinity Learning Center for eight years.

Under Hankes’ direction, Affinity was the 2005 recipient of the Bayer Program Partner award that recognizes partners who have made an extraordinary effort to address the issue of clinician-patient communication within their organizations.

Hankes was also instrumental with the development of the Affinity Learning Center, the Leadership Development Program, Affinity Leadership Institute and the Leader and Physician Performance Management system.

When asked what her first steps will be as vice president she says, “We need to sustain our strengths such as our leadership initiatives and using our mission, vision and values to guide our decisions. It’s important to recognize what Affinity does well and continue our dedication to excellence.”

Hankes also makes a point that excellence is gained through relationships. She believes that fostering relations with the community, the Catholic Church, physicians and patients is a top priority, “When relationships work, it adds meaning to our roles at Affinity. Given how change is constant in health care, we need to have meaning and more importantly, we need to have a foundation of faith.”

Faith plays an important role for Hankes. Her faith is what drew her to this new role. “Passion to serve the healing ministry of Jesus Christ has motivated me personally and professional,” she says, “It is a passion I’ve seen within the people I’ve worked with at Affinity. It’s what makes our work meaningful.”

She also believes spiritual renewal is important. “In today’s world many people associate spiritual replenishment with religion. Our faith is one way we can replenish ourselves. A walk with nature and time for self reflection can serve as another. In today’s world it is important that we take time out for spiritual renewal. Through this replenishment we rediscover our personal values which are at the heart of our daily life.”

Hankes is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Omro where she serves as a Vincentian for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and is very active in the community. She and her husband, Andrew, and 11-year-old daughter serve as volunteers at the local food pantry and enjoy the outdoors and traveling.

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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a Catholic mission-oriented regional health care network, is a partnership of Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. Affinity Health System is the Fox Valley’s third largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and is nationally listed among the top 50 hospitals for quality and efficiency (Thomson Reuters, Modern Healthcare). For eight consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI Health (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation – Affinity ranks no. 29 in the 2009 report. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent among hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Network Health Plan has achieved Excellent accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest possible level. It is ranked 31st in the nation, according to the U.S. News and World Report/NCQA Best Health Plans in America listing. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Community Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 22 family practice and specialty clinics – including two fully operational Medical Home models – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; Network Health Plan, Menasha; and Affinity Occupational Health.