Through our Monthly Spotlight Series, we are taking the time to highlight the staff at KidsCare Home Health. We hope you gain inspiration and valuable advice from these successful individuals and their stories.
This month we were excited to interview Larissa Jimenez, Colorado Operations Manager at KidsCare Home Health.
Where did you grow-up and what is special about your hometown?
I grew up a little all over the place. I was born in California. My family is all from Mexico so we would spend every vacation or 3-day weekend in Mexico visiting with my grandparents and cousins. Most of my grade school years were spent in Dallas and then for high school I moved up to Massachusetts. It is hard not to consider all three locations my home as I have family and loved ones there and they are really what makes each “hometown” so special.
How long have you been with KidsCare and what brought you to KidsCare?
I have been with KidsCare for 5 years now. The time has really flown by! I was fresh out of college looking for a company I could feel good about working for while I figured out my place in the workforce. KidsCare has really allowed me to do that while cultivating and applying my skill sets to our current company’s growth. I really feel like I have grown into my own here and found my calling.
What do the day-to-day responsibilities of your role as Operations Manager look like?
My day-to-day is a little bit of everything, from trouble shooting issues the team is experiencing daily to predicting what issues might arise in the future and try to get ahead of those. Managing the team entails quite a bit of auditing along with constant communication between departments and individuals to ensure everything is running smoothly and the team has everything they need to succeed.
What is your favorite part about your current position as Operations Manager for the West Region?
My favorite part would be the constant growth and collaboration. I really enjoy tackling new issues and setting up our teams for success so we can continue to grow as a company. My team is also a joy to work with and I take great pride in helping them come into their own and sharpen the tools they brought to KidsCare.
When you’re not at work, how do you like to spend your time?
When I am not at work, I am working on my MBA – which I am on track to finish in the Spring of 2021! Aside from that, I like to travel. I travel mostly to National Parks. I like to get away from a computer screen as much as possible. Luckily we have still been able to visit a few parks and campsites even during this pandemic. It has been a real saving grace to still be able to get out of the house while being responsible and socially distant.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
I went on a 9-day backpack/canoe trip in the Canadian wilderness with my husband and father in law 3 years ago. Although, I still consider our trip more of a vacation because there was nothing but pristine beauty all around. I learned a lot about myself out in the wilderness. I learned how to rely on others as much as I rely on myself, that everything had to be a team effort, how a positive attitude can make or break any situation, and how pushing through the tough situations makes you relish in the calm so much more. This trip also came at a very important time in my life. It was the tipping point where I found ways to truly foster all the skills I had acquired leading up to this trip and left behind anything that no longer served me.
What is your favorite memory in working at KidsCare Home Health?
I love all the holidays at KidsCare! It is always so much fun seeing every department come together to make a haunted house or winter wonderland for everyone to experience. It is sad that we will not be able to do that this year. Maybe we can do a virtual haunted house, “Night of the glitchy ZOOM call that would never end!”
What gets you most excited about KidsCare’s future?
Our continual growth into other markets gets me very excited. It is a great feeling knowing that KidsCare is going into new markets where there is a need and we can meet that need. Getting Therapy services and Nursing services to areas that have been previously under served is a wonderful feeling.
