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STRIDE Community Health Center

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Incompetent and Deceptive Leadership - Operations Director STRIDE Community Health Center Employee Review

1.0
Aug 7, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

At lower levels, pre Santos-takeover, there are some hardworking staff. Unfortunately, they are likely to get blindsided by the incompetence of the higher-ups.

Cons

Stay far away from this organization! They may boast that they are "rebuilding" but it is likely they will either go out of business or merge. You can't trust the leadership or the (non-existent) strategic vision. There is clear signs of deception and incompetence starting with the current CEO - Santos Vera, who joined in Oct 2022, - and throughout the current leadership staff. Since Santos took the helm everything has gone downhill fast. This may be due to the fact that Santos clearly has no idea how to run a business. He joined Stride there was a mass exodus of the Executive Team and senior leadership. In response, Santos promoted or hired individuals who are not qualified to fill a senior role (resulting in incompetence across the board), decided to fill both CEO and COO role (taking both salaries), relying buzz words and hostile retaliation to get his point across and ignored sound, strategic advice and input. After about 6 months of this, he has been MIA. Not seen in meetings instead, he sends his staff to deliver and collect his messages. Senior leadership that has allowed this behavior is just as culpable of the steep decline. Additionally, there are clear signs of financial trouble all across the organization, (even though senior leadership boasted that it was in a strong financial position in Spring 2023 at an all staff meeting) with a strong suspicion that this coming from mishandling of money. There is no transparency regarding budgets. No one below executive leadership is allowed to look at budget sheets. Also, a "cost saving" round of layoffs (approx. 25 staff) occurred in April 2023. Those who were not laid off were "allowed" to apply for half as many jobs some cut down by title and at least 20% less money. Then, on 8/4/23, another round of layoffs occurred. Another 25 staff were laid off, including some were "saved" by this realignment ploy in April. This time, this group received no severance and were informed on a mass HR call at 4:30pm after receiving an invite at 4:15pm. When HR or supervisors were called to inquiry about details or reasons behind the layoffs, those calls went unanswered. Unfortunately, the patients and the Denver community are going to be the ones who suffer when this place completely falls apart. STAY AWAY! It is not the place to build or grow your resume or use your talents or skills.

Explore other reviews about STRIDE Community Health Center

5.0
May 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Directly help patients access care, follow treatment plans

Cons

A lot of time is spent on paperwork

3.0
Mar 16, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Genuine opportunity to collaborate with passionate, mission-driven colleagues who care deeply about serving underserved communities. The work spans multiple areas of the organization, offering real chances to develop skills beyond your core role. If you believe in the mission of community health, you will find people here who share that commitment.

Cons

Staff are consistently asked to do more with less, and compensation does not reflect the scope of work or the expertise required. Workflows exist on paper but are not consistently followed, which creates operational gaps and inefficiencies that compound over time. Accountability is unevenly applied across organizational levels, and meaningful change happens slowly. Information silos between departments remain a persistent challenge that affects day-to-day effectiveness.

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