The need was there. Suddenly, so was she.

Seabreeze Non-Emergency Medical Transport, Rockford, Illinois

Brisa Berumen-Dixon, CEO of Seabreeze Non-Emergency Medical Transport in Rockford, Illinois, has a favorite holiday: Christmas. “My employees enjoy participating in community events such as the [Rockford] festival of lights. It’s also fun to have drivers dress up as Santa Claus. Children call the office and ask, ‘Is it true Santa works for you?’ Calls like that are why we go above and beyond.”

Why? Him.
Santa is the fun part. But Brisa started Seabreeze for a different reason. “Working in the medical field,” she says, “I became frustrated with the daily struggle of patients not getting to their medical appointments. I often made referrals and appointments that weren’t completed because of transportation issues—especially with specialized transport that required wheelchair transport.”

One patient’s situation frustrated Brisa so much she had to act.

“His life changed after he had a stroke,” she recalls. “His paralysis prevented him from getting around on his own, even with the help of a custom power chair. The combination of his power chair and his weight was close to 600 pounds, which caused a barrier when having to transport him to medical appointments, and his health was declining because he was unable to follow through with recommended medical appointments,” she says. “This occurred several times a week. I was frustrated.”

Brisa went home one day in a bad mood over the situation. Her husband told her not to worry “about situations I have no control over. I was angry with his response,” she says. The next day, Brisa announced she was starting her own NEMT company. Several months later, the business plan was complete, and Seabreeze—the meaning of her name in Spanish—was established.

Empathy is Key
Three years into owning Seabreeze, Brisa’s company has seven vehicles; five are wheelchair-accessible and can accommodate up to 1,000 pounds. The company averages 520 trips a week.

To help ensure Seabreeze remains an effective transportation provider for the Rockford area, Brisa said the company must be consistent and reliable. A big part of that is helping members feel safe and treating everyone with respect. Understanding what members go through every day often is the first step in making the person-to-person connection that’s so important in NEMT.

“In a meeting, one of my drivers said he was having issues with a member,” she said. “He stated, ‘She is always angry and very rude.’ I often ride along with the drivers, and I knew which member my driver was speaking about. This member is a single mother with terminal cancer.

“What I helped my staff understand is that she is not angry with them. She is angry with her diagnosis, her situation. She hates going to treatment. She hates the fact that she is a single mother and she has this diagnosis.”

Community is a Blessing
“We are truly blessed to work in a community that supports Seabreeze as a whole,” says Brisa. “Over the last three years, we have donated 103 rides.”

Regarding the man who she’s helped with transportation, she adds, “Knowing how we are impacting the community brings joy to my heart, knowing that the barrier that was identified is being addressed. It is also a blessing to be able to help families; I have 20 employees and 16 of them are single mothers or single fathers who depend on their paychecks to provide for their families.”

That’s a lot of community you’re helping, Brisa.

A Hero
For taking the initiative to make lives better in so many ways—whether it’s helping people get the potentially life-saving transportation they need, better understand what others might be going through, or just helping people make a living—thank you, Brisa Berumen-Dixon. You are a Hero.

Sincerely,
Modivcare's Go Digital! Team