The Hudson Valley Care Coalition (HVCC) recently announced the appointment of Marlene Ripa, senior vice president of business development and network strategy at Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall (MSLC), and Matilde L. Román, senior vice president and chief inclusion and impact officer at Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), to its Board of Directors.
Ripa and Román bring decades of experience in health-care strategy, system transformation and advancing equitable access to care. Their appointments come as HVCC continues to expand a model of care that connects clinical services with the social factors that shape health.
“Marlene and Matilde are respected leaders who understand how to navigate complex systems while staying grounded in the needs of the communities we serve,” said Amie Parikh, CEO of Hudson Valley Care Coalition. “Their perspectives will help guide our work as we expand access to coordinated, whole-person care across the Hudson Valley.”
HVCC leads a regional social care network that connects Medicaid members to essential services such as food, housing support and transportation — addressing the nonmedical factors that impact health.
The announcement follows HVCC’s recent partnership with WMCHealth to integrate health-related social needs screenings across hospitals and outpatient sites. The effort is expected to reach approximately 80,000 Medicaid members in 2026, significantly expanding access to services that address food insecurity, housing instability and transportation barriers.
Montefiore Health System has long been a trailblazer in recognizing and addressing social determinants of health. In Orange County, MSLC has implemented a community partnership model; embedding staff from access supports for living and independent living, in the emergency department, to facilitate screening and navigation for health-related social needs.
Ripa serves as senior vice president of business development and network strategy at Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall, where she leads strategic growth initiatives and
partnerships across the region. A Hudson Valley native, she has played a key role in advancing innovative care delivery models, including work under New York State’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program.
Román serves as senior vice president and chief inclusion and impact officer at WMCHealth, where she leads systemwide efforts to advance equity and measurable impact. Previously, she was the inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer at NYC Health + Hospitals, where she developed enterprise-wide strategies to improve access and outcomes across the nation’s largest public health system.
HVCC serves as the lead entity for the Hudson Valley’s Social Care Network, bringing together health-care providers, managed care organizations and community-based organizations across seven counties to address health-related social needs.
With more than 160 partners, HVCC is building a more connected, community-based health-care ecosystem that helps individuals access the services they need to stay healthy and avoid preventable medical crises.
“The future of health care depends on how well we connect clinical care with the realities people face in their daily lives,” said Lindsay Farrell, HVCC board chair and president and CEO of Open Door Family Medical Center. “Marlene and Matilde bring the leadership needed to help move this work forward.”
Hudson Valley Care Coalition is a regional network of more than 160 partner organizations, including hospitals, managed care organizations, federally qualified health centers, and community-based organizations. HVCC works to improve health outcomes by addressing both medical and social needs.
HVCC serves as the lead entity for the social care network in the Hudson Valley and operates as a lead health home and behavioral health independent practice association across Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.
