Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Maldonado.
Hi Erika, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My sister, Lexi, had been working as a post-op care nurse for plastic surgery patients for a few years. Being the passionate nurse that she is, she was always getting rave reviews from her patients and the doctors with whom she worked. One day, she talked about it with me about what she was doing but saw room for improvement in the field — a more one on one paradigm with patient care taken to new heights. At the time, I was in the corporate world in the high tech sector with hopes of one day starting my own business. After brainstorming with my sister, we decided to go for it and start a business that would blend our talents. We called it Calicia, a Portmanteau of our grandmothers’ first names: Carmen and Alicia.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It most certainly has not been a smooth road, but the challenges we have faced have only made us stronger, more focused and an operation that maintains our high standards for patient care. There was also a lot of minutiae like dealing with insurance, licenses, partnerships, advertising, patient satisfaction follow-up and other important aspects of the job that we didn’t realize were so time consuming.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Calicia Care specializes in post-op care for plastic surgery patients that goes beyond just meeting their medical needs but taking care of every aspect of their lives so they can focus on. healing. What many folks don’t realize is that there is 30% chance that patients will experience post-op complications. Entrusting the patient’s spouse, family member or a friend to handle such situations is not worth risking their life. So our nursing care includes Nursing care monitoring vital signs, wound cleaning, dressing and bandage changes, progress monitoring, medication administration, and more. But, as I said, we go beyond meeting their medical needs and in that respect we cater to our patients by meeting a wide range of services whether that be enlisting the expertise of Shaman, fung shei expert, masseur or acupuncturist, hiring a private chef to prepare meals for the patient and their pets or anything they might desire.
While Calicia has been focused on plastic surgery patients, we have had clients who have undergone spine, cardiac and other forms of surgery reaching out for our services. That is helping the business expand.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Being relentless. Owning a business is a lot of work in any context, but our business is focused on the health, comfort and well-being of our patients and that’s our #1 priority.
Contact Info:
- Website: CaliciaCare.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caliciacare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaliciaCare
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/calicia-care-beverly-hills
