By Vanessa Orr
Aleyda Rizzo began her healthcare journey at age 11 when she cared for her grandmother who was seriously ill. Now as the regional director of operations for KIDZ Medical Services, she is still prioritizing people who need help—pediatric patients and families throughout Florida.
“In 1989, my grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer and had multiple relapses the rest of her life,” explained Rizzo. “I went to every doctor’s appointment with her, and I was by her side for every hospital stay. When home nursing services informed my grandmother that they would not be able to continue providing care for insurance reasons, they asked if anyone in the family could take on the role of caretaker. I raised my hand and said, ‘I’ll do it.’ That’s when my training began.”
For the next three years, Rizzo took care of her grandmother, and after she passed away, Rizzo’s passion for helping people receive the care they need remained. “Being able to be directly involved in her care had such a powerful impact on me,” she said.
Rizzo began working as a front desk receptionist at a New York City medical practice straight out of high school. She attended Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn to become a medical assistant while simultaneously pursuing a degree in business administration with a focus on small business entrepreneurship. After gaining experience at some private medical practices in New York, she realized that she had a talent for successfully growing start-up operations. She later joined NYU Langone Medical Center as a manager, where she managed the first all-nurse practitioner practice in the nation.
“At the time, it was the job of my dreams,” said Rizzo. “We started it from the ground up and it grew tremendously,”
In 2017, Rizzo and her husband moved their family to Florida where she found her next dream job at KIDZ Medical Services. The South Florida multispecialty practice cares for neonatal, pediatric and women’s health patients across 15 office locations and 19 hospital partner sites.
“Ever since I started at KIDZ as an office manager seven years ago, my responsibilities have grown,” said Rizzo. “I went from leading a team of 10 to a team of 45, and my team is usually the first to be involved in piloting new programs.”
Rizzo was also tapped to be the project manager for two new office buildouts and four office remodels. She has implemented operational, financial and critical strategies within the organization. She also recently took on the role of administratively supporting KIDZ’ inpatient line of services for hospitals in the northern region.
“The most challenging part of leading such a large group is the interpersonal component—collaborating with different personalities with different perspectives,” Rizzo said of her role. “Also, everyone comes to work for various reasons—from passion to a paycheck—and it’s my job to help keep everyone inspired, motivated, and happy to be at work.
“While my role has its challenges, it’s equally rewarding because I get to work so closely with our physicians, nurses and team members—asking engaging questions and doing regular check-ins with the team,” she added. “It’s incredibly important to me that our team feels seen and heard.”
Rizzo appreciates that KIDZ Medical Services fosters an environment of transparency and support and that everyone is free to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions.
“Our founders and executive leaders have set a high standard, and I can confidently say that everyone here does have a voice. It’s been a very different experience here in that regard, compared to other stages in my career,” she said. “And I love that as a leader, whether I’m working through a new development with contractors or having a conversation with my team about the day-to-day operations, we all have the opportunity to impact patient care and patient satisfaction for the better—individually and collectively. At the end of the day, that’s why we’re here.”
