Cástulo de la Rocha, President and CEO, AltaMed
Will be honored on June 12, 2025 at the 25th Annual Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership Dinner at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, CA.
Biography
As President and CEO of AltaMed Health Services Corporation, Cástulo de la Rocha is a beloved trailblazer in community health. Under his visionary leadership, AltaMed has transformed from a storefront barrio clinic in East Los Angeles into the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in California, and among the top five in the nation.
Mr. de la Rocha has always understood that a community’s health is indivisible from its prosperity. In 1977, he saw a need: people in low-income neighborhoods throughout the Southland were significantly underserved by essential health resources. In fact, the Barrio Free Clinic in his neighborhood often had a line of people that wound around the block. AltaMed was born from Mr. de la Rocha’s need to meet this fundamental requirement. He changed the face of one community, then another, until AltaMed became one of the area’s largest health care systems. AltaMed has grown to approximately 60 medical, dental and PACE sites staffed by more than 5,000 employees, providing compassionate care to nearly 500,000 patients a year.
Over the years, Mr. de la Rocha succeeded in building an essential resource for millions of underserved residents throughout Southern California, and in the process, created a model of excellence for health centers and communities everywhere. This innovative “whole community” approach to health care has earned him numerous awards from medical institutions and programs, as well as the honor of receiving a Medallion of Excellence from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2017.
In 2023, Mr. de la Rocha received a number of awards including the Los Angeles Business Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Distinguished Business Leader Award. This coincided with him being highlighted as a 2023 Univisionario and being named a Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights 2023 Immigrant Champion. He was also inducted into the Roosevelt High School Alumni Hall of Fame. Most notably, in 2023, the University of La Verne honored Mr. de la Rocha by naming their new health sciences department the “Castulo de la Rocha College of Health and Well-Being,” in honor of Mr. de la Rocha’s legacy as a trailblazer in community health and commitment to the development of our future health care workforce.
AltaMed’s standard of care and consistently strong financial performance has made it an exemplar of what a community-focused health center can be. AltaMed is accredited by the Joint Commission as a Patient Centered Medical Home, and the facility was recognized as #1 among the Hispanic Business Journal’s “Top 25 Nonprofits” for seven consecutive years. Mr. de la Rocha frequently lends his expertise in aligning best practices in health care, public policy, and social advocacy. Currently, he serves on the boards of National Medical Fellowships and America’s Physician Groups (formerly the California Association of Physician Groups).
An avid believer in the healing power of art, Mr. de la Rocha has spent 30 years assembling the AltaMed Art Collection. It champions the works of emerging and established artists who reflect the history, achievements, and struggles of underserved communities, and it lives on rotating display across AltaMed’s entire clinic network. Mr. de la Rocha has been recognized by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the boards of the Museum of Latin American Art Board and the Latino Victory Fund.
