RICK ALVARADO

RICK ALVARADO

CEO, ANGELS IN YOUR HOME

Years in current role: 2

What has been your organization’s biggest success over the past year?

The strength and resiliency of our team over the past year is one of our biggest successes. The past two years have put the workforce in the spotlight. Between “The Great Resignation” of professional staff and the health care workforce crisis, companies like ours have had a tough hill to climb. By prioritizing our people and creating a culture where people are valued, where we celebrate each other and our successes, we have been able to attract and retain some great people. In our industry, we often point to continuity of care as being as important as the quality of care. You can’t provide continuity of care if you don’t have continuity of your people. At Angels in Your Home, we realize that.

What are your expectations for the rest of this year?

The rest of this year is going to be stressful, if not difficult. Many long-term care programs are Medicaid funded, and the funding for these programs have come under pressure over the past year. With overdue but mandatory increases in wages to homecare workers on Oct. 1, agencies like ours are caught in the crosshairs. On the positive side, we continue to grow our base of people served in our existing programs. We also look for new ways and new programs to help those in need. We have gotten much more active in the community this year now that the world has resumed many pre-pandemic events, and it has been great to get out and interact with people again.

What advice would you give somebody just starting out in your industry?

I would advise that no matter what challenges get thrown your way, never lose sight of what we are in business to do. We are here to provide individuals and their families with services that can greatly impact their quality of life. When you do a good job, no matter what role you play, you are part of making a difference in someone’s life.

What are your favorite things about Rochester?

My favorite thing about Rochester is that for me, it’s home. I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled across the country and around the world and I’ve visited some really beautiful and interesting places. Yet I am always happy to come back to Rochester. We have great schools for our kids, arts and music festivals all summer, recreational activities in the Finger Lakes and Adirondacks all year, and family and friends to enjoy it with. We also have a pretty good football team down the road in Buffalo to root for each fall. We are very lucky here.

This profile is part of Rochester Business Journal's Power 30 Health Care list for 2022. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at rbj.net.