.png)
How Humboldt Park Health's VP of IT Leads a Mission-Driven Safety-Net Hospital
The CereCore Podcast
Hector Rodriguez brings a different kind of resume to healthcare IT leadership. Before joining Humboldt Park Health as Vice President of IT in 2022, he worked across managed services, city government, and nonprofit organizations, exposure that shaped how he approaches technology decisions today. In this episode of The CereCore Podcast, we talk with Hector about that path, why he treats every technology decision as if a family member were the patient on the other end of it, and what drew him specifically to a safety net hospital on Chicago's west side.
Hector talks about the role IT played in helping Humboldt Park Health earn a Joint Commission health equity certification, why he's steering his team toward practical, problem-first AI, and why he believes EHR optimization is never truly finished. He also shares what he looks for in a technology partner and how he leads with relentless prioritization when there's never enough time, budget, or people to do everything.
Key topics include:
- A career across managed services, city government, and nonprofit work, and how that background shapes his approach to healthcare IT today
- Treating IT as an enabler of the hospital's mission, not just a system that has to stay online
- What it took from his team to help Humboldt Park Health earn a Joint Commission Health Equity Certification
- A practical, problem-first approach to AI, from an ED pilot to revenue cycle automation
- Why he believes EHR optimization never truly finishes
- Leading with relentless prioritization when there's never enough time, budget, or people to do everything
Loading