Get to Know: Glenn Castellucci

We know the work at Acadia can often be fast-paced. Why is it worth it?

It’s worth it because we’re giving the residents a voice. In long term care facilities and elsewhere, Parkinson’s disease psychosis often goes undiagnosed, so our job is really to educate. 

If a resident is having hallucinations and/or delusions, they’re probably really scared. They might be worried they’ll be labeled as crazy. In many cases, they stop taking part in activities; they refuse to eat. Or if they’ve already been diagnosed, they might be on a medication that just sedates them—it’s masking their disease, not treating it. In the facilities, I frequently see Parkinson’s residents slumped over in wheelchairs, unable to interact with the loved ones who come to visit. It’s a terrible quality of life. 

That’s where we come in. We want to give healthcare providers the resources that enable the screening and identification of residents that may benefit from our products. Knowing we’ve been able to help the residents is just awesome; that’s really what it’s all about. 

How is Acadia different from other places you’ve worked?

One thing I like is that when you make a suggestion, it will probably happen—and pretty quickly. After I joined, for example, I asked about launching a resident ID tool, which is basically a questionnaire on the diagnostic criteria. I used something similar at another company, and I knew it could help; people are visual thinkers. At a larger company, that might have been ignored, but here, it was up and running within the quarter. I presented it at the last national sales meeting, and the feedback was great. 

Honestly, I like smaller companies in general. You don’t feel like a number, and it doesn’t feel like a competition with my teammates. We’re all vested, so it’s in everyone’s interest to try and help each other out. We’re all in this together. 

What are you most excited about as you look toward the next year—for yourself and for the company?

For Acadia overall, the growth is exciting. We’re more than doubling the number of reps on the long term care team alone, and I think that’s just the beginning. Right now, it’s a lot of travel—I cover Florida all the way from Fort Pierce to The Keys, and I go to Puerto Rico every four to six weeks—but we’ll be splitting that territory in half this year. 

As far as what’s exciting for me, it all comes down to helping people. Within Acadia, that might be sales training, or just supporting the person who splits my territory—handing off the ball, but also running down the sideline with them. But in the meantime, I’m very excited about this medication. Being able to help residents is the most important thing. 

How has your work at Acadia changed since the COVID pandemic hit?

It’s changed a lot. My work pre-COVID was largely based on visiting long term care facilities, but now my day is filled with phone calls, emails, texts and WebEx meetings. Without the frequent in-person interactions, my work is focused on building relationships with our customers, making sure we’re still able to connect. We’ve actually been able to recreate a lot of our field duties online.

How has Acadia supported you during this time?

Acadia has been great. It’s a wonderful company to work for, especially now. They’re very supportive, and they made it clear early on that the safety of all of us, our residents and our families was their first priority. They’ve prioritized open communication—both in terms of giving us the most up-to-date information and in listening to our concerns. And of course, it’s a huge relief that we’re financially secure. When we made the move to working from home, leadership assured us that everyone would still have a job. They told us upfront that they needed us.

What are you most looking forward to when you reenter the field?

Just getting back out there. I want to see our customers again. Being on the road is simply what we do. Sometimes, I even try to make my work at home seem a little bit more normal by taking calls or sending emails from the car. I always tell people, I’ve got the best home office because I have four windows, and the views constantly change!