Meet CAN Community Health’s New President & CEO, Dr. Rishi Patel.

For Dr. Rishi Patel, who started with CAN in 2015 as the Chief Pharmacy Officer in 2015 and was recently named President and CEO, the journey from an Eckerd Drugstore pharmacist to the helm of CAN Community Health was challenging, but he wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

Patel’s family immigrated to the United States from the United Kingdom in 1981. After living briefly in Texas, the family resettled in Fort Myers, FL. Rishi attended the University of Florida, then earned his Doctorate of Pharmacy at Nova Southeastern University and an MBA at Florida Gulf Coast University. Patel met his wife, Kristin, in high school, and together they’re raising a second generation of Gator fans, their two daughters. 

While CAN keeps growing with new locations - Patel knows there’s more impact to be made in the communities that CAN already serves. He believes the most effective way to knock down the barriers to care is by providing more services under the same roof.

“When you empower individuals, they take it upon themselves to seek care. So, let’s make sure we do our part in ending the HIV epidemic and ensure patients are virally suppressed. Let’s raise the bar in patient experiences, keep eliminating barriers to care, and empowering patients our services,” Patel says. 

Patel credits everyone, from his fantastic executive team to the Patient Experience Experts who are CAN ambassadors, for maintaining a patient-centered culture that you don’t find in very many places today. With that culture in place, he is confident that a supportive team will be helping him raise that bar.

Contact: 
CAN Community Health
4440 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232
(941) 300-4440
cancommunityhealth.org