LANSING — Although he’s been on the job for less than two months, McLaren Greater Lansing’s new president and CEO is forecasting big announcements for the healthcare provider that opened the region’s newest hospital four years ago and a $40 million campus near Grand Ledge in October.
When the State Journal asked Dean Mazzoni if there’d be any similar projects in the future, the 57-year-old health care executive did not hesitate.
“I think the short answer is yes,” said Mazzoni, whose first day on the job was March 16. “A lot of healthcare is moving out of the hospital into what we call ambulatory settings through outpatient care.
“I think you will see more projects in the future. I can tell you our focus will be on primary care and outpatient care. What that means and where that will be is probably premature for me to say. You’ll hear about new things happening probably within 12 to 18 months, if not sooner.
“Some of the bigger projects, we anticipate would probably be longer – like, you know, 24 months or so.”
Mazzoni originally hails from the Northeast. He has 20 years of senior leadership experience, the last 10 with Franciscan Alliance, a 12-hospital, multistate Midwest system.
He most recently served as president and CEO of Franciscan’s Michigan City, Indiana, Division. As such, he was responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of an acute care hospital, 400-member medical staff, and multiple ambulatory clinics, freestanding emergency departments, surgery centers, cancer centers and imaging centers, among others.
Chad Grant, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Grand Blanc-based McLaren Healthcare, which operates 12 Michigan hospitals, said the health system is excited about Mazzoni’s “deep understanding of the healthcare industry” as McLaren continue to expand access to healthcare. “His experience, compassion, and commitment to patient-centered care align closely with our mission, and we are truly excited to welcome Dean to McLaren and East Lansing.”
Mazzoni replaces Kirk Ray, who was McLaren Greater Lansing’s president and CEO for seven years and oversaw the construction of McLaren Greater Lansing’s new 240-bed teaching hospital located at 2900 Collins Road, near the Michigan State University campus.
But the hospital system’s footprint in Lansing is considerably larger. McLaren Greater Lansing is an organization of nearly 1,800 employees and a medical staff of 944 across a range of specialties, providing care at the Lansing-based hospital campus, the Izzo Family Medical Center and McLaren Grand Ledge and Mid-Michigan Physician medical campuses, and its network of clinics throughout the community.
While his industry is dealing with inflationary costs and patients face similar increases for insurance, medical care and drug expenses, Mazzoni is in a unique position in that he’s at the helm of two relatively new facilities.
In 2022, McLaren Greater Lansing opened its $600 million McLaren campus that includes a Level III trauma center that’s part of the system’s stroke network, an emergency department, Karmanos Cancer Institute, outpatient care center and Health and Wellness Pavilion.
Two years ago, McLaren officials announced plans for a $40 million emergency department and medical office near Grand Ledge, and that facility opened late last year.
“When the ER first opened, the community’s response was very supportive, though it also demonstrated the need for that level of care in that community,” McLaren spokesman Dave Jones said in an email. “Upon opening, the volume of patients being treated in the ER surpassed projections. Even in the month of April 2026, the ER was 22% above that projected number.”
The newness of both locations has Mazzoni feeling like he’s in a better situation than many of his colleagues.
“I’ve been very fortunate to come into an organization with a brand new facility,” Mazzoni said. “So many communities don’t have an asset like this, where it’s a new facility with the latest and greatest technology, great people who really are working hard to meet and exceed the needs of the patients that they’re privileged to care for.
“I hope to work with everyone here to bring us to the next level, which means improved quality, improved outcomes, improved access, certainly making sure that people are getting the right care when they need it, where they need it … making sure that people, in as much as they can, have a good experience.”
He said a search firm came looking for him, and he already knew McLaren had a great reputation.
Also, he and his wife Michele already were familiar with Michigan’s hiking, biking and camping opportunities and he liked the idea of adding his voice to healthcare debates at the state Capitol with the intention of achieving the best possible care.
“McLaren’s got a great reputation. It’s a well-run organization and it’s one of the leading healthcare providers in the state,” Mazzoni said.
In his career, he’s seen a lot of transformation in healthcare, with some procedures once requiring days in the hospital moving to outpatient settings. But he recognizes the challenges that go with the field’s medical advances and other changes.
“I think healthcare in general post-pandemic has gone through a transformation where there’s probably less trust on behalf of patients,” he said. “But I think from McLaren’s perspective, we’ve got a great reputation both in the community and in the industry.”
Addressing the mistrust of healthcare, he said McLaren is attempting projects that include outreach to Medicaid patients, a new primary care mobile “street medicine” clinic that works with unhoused people at shelters and, in conjunction with the Greater Lansing Food Bank, a food pantry for cancer patients.
“These are the types of things that are really holistic and really comprehensive in nature that we do here, that are grassroots driven many times to meet the needs of people who need care and who are in need of care,” Mazzoni said, adding that it’s key for his industry to always be thinking about ways to adapt to meet present and future healthcare needs. “Where do we need to be one year, three years, five years down the road to continue to meet the needs of the communities we serve?”
Mazzoni’s dad was a self-employed house painter. His mother stayed at home. He said he understands the struggles that working-class people encounter when being forced to deal with hospitals because of illness or accidents.
“My advice, honestly, would be – this might not be popular, but you’ve got to take care of yourself,” he said. “You can’t plan for illness, but do everything you can to take care of yourself and that means as much as you can, eating well, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. Those are the three ingredients I think that are important to good health and longevity.”
Mazzoni is hoping to end his career with McLaren Greater Lansing.
“When I talk about how McLaren’s working on how to position itself for the future and for the long run, it’s being very good stewards of our resources, managing our expenses, so that we can provide high quality care that’s affordable and good for the community.”
Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: New CEO Mazzoni takes helm as McLaren Greater Lansing poised for growth
Reporting by Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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