April 1, 2026

Three WellMed team members are among 14 medical and biosciences professionals in the Alamo City area named 2026 Health Care Heroes.

The San Antonio Business Journal announced its annual listing of outstanding health care professionals on Monday, March 30. The winners will be celebrated at an awards ceremony on May 21.

The winners and their categories are:

Elizabeth Castellanos, LVN
Category: Practitioner nonphysician

Elizabeth is a dedicated case manager who supports patients following hospital discharge or emergency room visits, ensuring successful transitions back to everyday life. At any given time, she manages the care of approximately 1,200 patients, serving as the vital link between hospital providers, patients and their families.

Elizabeth ensures discharge instructions are clearly understood, medications are coordinated and follow up appointments are arranged. She ensures patients have what they need at home to avoid readmission.

Elizabeth’s path into health care began as a young mother seeking meaningful work registering patients in a small town emergency room. The clinicians caring for people in their most vulnerable moments inspired her to become a nurse.

Elizabeth readily steps in when teams are stretched thin. During one understaffed shift, she assisted with a patient experiencing chest pain until he was safely transported for life saving surgery.

Elizabeth believes every small kindness matters. Through her professionalism and heart, she proves it every day.

Ashleigh Strickland, vice president, Home Care Dimensions
Category: Executive, non-hospital based

Ashleigh, who leads WellMed’s home health service, has demonstrated a deep passion for home health over a 13-year tenure. Her commitment to care continuity helps patients safely transition home and avoid rehospitalization.

Home Care Dimensions serves approximately 15,000 patients annually, including the most medically complex cases. Ashleigh’s emphasis on quality has produced exceptional results, including a rehospitalization rate of just 4%, compared to the national average of 15%. Home Care Dimensions’ performance regularly exceeds CMS standards in timeliness of care, transfer summaries, data reporting and patient medication education.

The team’s focus on seeing patients within 24 hours of hospital discharge, often paired with same-day telemedicine visits, drives optimal outcomes and high patient satisfaction.

Ashleigh also led development of the Hospital-to-Home program, creating seamless coordination among care teams and significantly reducing readmissions for high-risk patients. She champions staff safety through enhanced field monitoring and emergency alert systems.

Her impact extends into the community through volunteer leadership, charitable service and advocacy for healthy living.

Dr. Veronica Escobar, associate medical director, CareCoach Connect
Category: Physician – nonhospital-based

Veronica Escobar, DO, is an exceptional physician whose career reflects deep compassion, tireless advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to San Antonio’s most vulnerable patients.

A geriatric and palliative care physician, Dr. Escobar provides individualized, high-quality care to people living with complex, life limiting illnesses. Dr. Escobar takes time to truly know her patients, listens without judgment and advocates relentlessly to ensure their needs are met.

Raised in Fort Worth and an alumnus of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Dr. Escobar’s upbringing shaped her calling to serve the sickest and poorest populations. She regularly cares for patients facing food insecurity, unsafe housing and limited resources, personally addressing barriers related to medications, durable medical equipment, transportation and hospice services.

A devoted educator and mentor, Dr. Escobar spent a decade on faculty at Christus Santa Rosa’s Family Medicine Residency, where she built and led the geriatrics curriculum and modeled compassionate, patient centered care. Within WellMed, she continues to mentor interdisciplinary teams, fostering collaboration, empowerment and excellence.