Cástulo de la
Rocha has led AltaMed Health Services Corporation as President and CEO since
1977. The nonprofit organization provides quality health and dental care and a
range of other services to a primarily Latino population in underserved areas
of Los Angeles and Orange Counties in Southern California. Under Cástulo de la
Rocha’s direction, the health care provider has grown from one clinic in East
L.A. to 44 clinics and senior care centers, and from three paid employees to a
staff exceeding 1,200. Overseeing a budget approximating $200 million, the
health care executive engages in strategic planning, monitors contracts and
compliance, and handles numerous other duties, including interpreting,
creating, and implementing policies.
The AltaMed Foundation,
established in 1987, acts as the fundraising arm of the company as it strives
to increase the access to health care and human services in Southern
California’s medically underserved communities. The foundation also promotes
support and understanding of AltaMed resources through special community
activities and events and works to enhance the value of permanent endowments.
Since its inception, the AltaMed Foundation has raised nearly $15 million in
support of the nonprofit’s mission.
Cástulo
de la Rocha began life in humble circumstances in Mexico, immigrating to the
United States at age 11, where he began his first formal education. The
experience, familiar to many in the medically underserved communities of
greater Los Angeles, gave him a drive to succeed and an empathy with those
still struggling. His efforts on behalf of those in need have won him numerous
honors, including the Gold Medallion for Public Health from the U.S. Surgeon
General, the Pioneer for Justice Award from the Mexican American Bar
Foundation, and a lifetime achievement Tribute Award from The Latino Coalition.
In 2011, the National Association of Community Health Centers inducted him into
the Grassroots Hall of Fame.
