Theresa Santoro, MSN, RN, CHCA
President & CEO
RVNAhealth President and CEO Theresa Santoro has led our organization with vision, energy and compassion since 2007. She joined our agency in 1999 as a visiting registered nurse, and later served as director of clinical services and vice president of clinical operations. Relying on her 25-plus years of clinical and administrative nursing experience, Theresa has evolved and advanced RVNAhealth to become the dynamic, responsive provider of lifelong wellness services and preventative care that it is today.
Under Theresa’s leadership, RVNAhealth has expanded to offer a broad range of community clinics and wellness programs, and introduced RVNAhealth StayingWELL Caregiving Services, RVNAhealth ComfortWELL Hospice Services, and the RVNAhealth Rehabilitation & Wellness Center. Recognizing that RVNAhealth must continually grow to meet the challenges of an aging population, a dynamic healthcare landscape, and ever-expanding home and community health care needs, she guided the agency forward with the construction of a new $10 million, 23,000 square foot facility in 2016.
To fully reflect the agency's breadth in both services offered and geographic coverage, in 2019 Theresa led a strategic rebranding: The agency known as RVNA (Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association) became RVNAhealth. "Over the years, we have expanded to address the full continuum of care that individuals need throughout their lifetimes," she says. "RVNAhealth better reflects the lifelong care and wellness services that we provide when, where, and how you need it."
She received her BSN and MSN from Sacred Heart University and is a certified home care administrator. In 2006, she received the Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing, a statewide nursing recognition program. In 2009, she was awarded the Judith Hriceniak Award for Excellence in Nursing Leadership by the CT Association for Healthcare at Home. Sacred Heart University recognized her in 2015 with an outstanding alumni leadership award.