At AllerVie, Vets and Careers in Health Care Fit Together

^{This article originally published on ConnectingVets.}

Veterans have come together to battle the growing health crisis of allergies and asthma — which together affects 75 million Americans — to create one of the fastest-growing networks of experienced medical providers in the category.

From January 2021 to January 2022, AllerVie Health has grown from 110 employees to 470, representing a 317% increase in its workforce. AllerVie’s top leadership also includes a mixture of military veterans. Former Army Capt. Chris Roussos serves as AllerVie’s chief executive officer; Tae Kim, former Army aviation officer, is its president and Sean Ketterick, former flight commander in the Air Force, is AllerVie’s chief development officer.

“The military taught me how to lead and serve others so that no one was left behind,” said Roussos.

With 77 allergy and health care centers in locations across 13 states (at the time of publishing), Roussos said AllerVie’s patients are at the center of all it does, as is the company’s commitment to hiring veterans and their spouses.

“Veterans are uniquely qualified based on their history of service, loyalty, and sacrifice to work in health care,” he said.

Roussos noted that in 2019 the PEW Research Center found veterans were notably less likely to work in health services — with only 8.4% of all employed veterans working in the healthcare sector compared to 15.6% of the overall employed population working in health care. He argued that with their strong sense of mission, veterans are a perfect fit for the industry.

“Veterans create bonds with their co-workers and their colleagues to serve a purpose greater than themselves,” he said.