Erik Cardenas brings healthcare technology experience to Rogers Board
07/21/22 12:18:pm
As a healthcare technology leader, strategist, and entrepreneur, Erik Cardenas is excited to bring his knowledge and skillsets to the Rogers Behavioral Health Board of Directors.
Erik, who became one of the board’s two newest members in 2021, is the co-founder and CEO of Zócalo Health, a virtual family medicine service designed for the Latino patient. He was also selected in 2020 as one of Business Insider’s 30 under 40 who are working to transform U.S. healthcare.
“Being a Rogers board member is a great opportunity for me to give back to an organization with a mission that aligns with my values,” he says of his first board role. “Leadership is really keen on working with the Board to bring new ideas and ways of serving our patients and employees. With 23 years of relevant healthcare experience, I hope to influence that and help make Rogers even stronger.”
As a board member, Erik sits on the Advocacy and Community Outreach Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. Additionally, he chairs the Technology Committee, which launched about six months ago.
“One of the key reasons I came to Rogers is to share best practices in technology and how it can be a real asset to improving services, patients’ quality of life, and employee satisfaction,” he says.
As the only Latino on the Board, Erik is also passionate about championing diversity in the workplace and increasing access to underserved communities. Growing up in inner-city Houston as a son of immigrant parents, he says he had a firsthand look at the effects that limited access to healthcare has on a community.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement, and my mission is to help bridge those gaps,” Erik says.
In his time with Rogers over the last 17 months, Erik says he’s been inspired by how Rogers has met the challenges of the pandemic while continuing to grow and expand. He’s also moved by his fellow board members, who he says have their own connections to mental health and addiction.
“I realized there’s a lot of passion and personal stories behind why everyone is involved,” Erik explains. “I get to collaborate with amazing humans who are volunteering their time to give back to an institution that helped someone they know or is helping others with similar struggles.”
Getting to know Erik
Erik and his family moved to Seattle four years ago for his role as a senior technology leader at Amazon Care, a virtual and in-person healthcare offering for Amazon employees and their families.
Feeling like it was time for the Latino community to have its own solution, he launched Zócalo Health in 2021. The goal is to provide Latinos with an improved healthcare experience built on trust, community, and a holistic approach in order to achieve optimal social, mental, and physical well-being.
Erik has been married to Lupita, his high school sweetheart, since 2008. They have three children: Montserrat, 12, Santiago, 10, and Ilan, 4. In their free time, they enjoy spending time outdoors exploring the Pacific Northwest.
Erik is thrilled that Rogers has a clinic based where he lives in Seattle.
“I’ve visited the clinic, and the programs are amazing,” he says. “It definitely brings value to our community, and I look forward to seeing it grow.”
