Everyone, Everyday. Relentlessly: Meet Ricardo Rodriguez

As we update our brand name to UMass Memorial Health and launch a new brand campaign, it’s time to tell the world who we are, what we do and what we stand for as a health care system. Our relentless caregivers are the inspiration for the update of our brand name and campaign. Find out more about these caregivers and how it takes everyone, every day working together relentlessly to care for our patients and each other. This week, we interviewed Residential Counselor Ricardo Rodriguez, who told us about his unique role at UMass Memorial Health — Community Healthlink, along with what he thinks it means to be relentless in that role.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Residential Counselor at Community Healthlink’s Adult Community Clinical Services (ACCS) program, knows a thing or two about how hard life can be for individuals and families struggling with mental health and substance use issues. “I grew up in Great Brook Valley — public housing — and I have a learning disability. My father was an addict. He was in and out of jail when I was growing up. I can recall walking in the pouring rain all the way across Worcester to bring him to a detox program, only to have them tell us they didn’t have beds available. We'd have to walk all the way back, with my father yelling at us the whole way. I knew he didn’t mean it because he was under the influence, but still. I said to myself way back then that if I was ever in a position to help people like him, that’s what I’d do.”

Ricardo kept that desire to help, and funneled it into his college education, first at Quinsigamond Community College, and later at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he graduated with his bachelor’s degree with a major in sociology and a concentration in social services. After college, Ricardo came back to Worcester and immediately got to work. “I wanted to make a difference in my community,” Ricardo explained. “Why leave and work in another community when I knew we needed help in this one?”

At Community Healthlink, Ricardo works with adults with mental illness and substance use disorders who live independently in the community but need clinical support to keep their symptoms stabilized, and to develop skills that allow them to succeed.

Ricardo believes that he and his colleagues engage in the “relentless pursuit of healing” by insisting on physically visiting their clients weekly, regardless of the circumstances. Throughout the pandemic, Ricardo made it a priority to ensure that they, “kept eyes on our people.” Ricardo explained that many clients in the program are socially isolated, and sometimes their only face-to-face interactions with others come from their appointments with Ricardo and other Community Healthlink caregivers. 

Ricardo and his colleagues went to great lengths to ensure they could continue to connect with clients, even at the height of the pandemic. “You had to be courageous,” Ricardo said. “We would see and talk to clients through windows, from one side of a hallway to another, or from outside our cars. It was so important for the overall mental health of our clients.”

When it comes to helping clients succeed, Ricardo is creative and resourceful. One client, he explained, was engaged in the risky business of selling drugs. After getting to know the client, Ricardo realized that it wasn’t drugs that the client was interested in; the client just really enjoyed the hustle of selling items without working a 9-to-5 job. Ricardo worked with the client to apply for and receive a Street Vendor’s Permit from the City of Worcester. The client is now selling colognes and perfumes, legally, instead of illegal drugs.

According to Hannah Katz, who oversees the program, “Ricardo is a straight shooter. His ability to build trusting relationships with his clients is evident especially when difficult situations present. Ricardo advocates for his team and clients and makes sure they have the resources they need to succeed.”

If you were looking for Ricardo during one of his shifts, you would most likely find him out in the community — meeting clients at their homes, accompanying them to appointments, and responding to clients in crisis. According to Ricardo, in order to successfully help clients, you must, “meet the clients where they’re at,” not only physically, but mentally as well.

In his leisure time, Ricardo prioritizes spending time with his family. He adores his eight-year-old grandson and loves going to his basketball games and Taekwondo lessons. “I’m a very family-oriented person,” said Ricardo, “and I’m happiest when I’m making people happy.”