Richard Belle dedicated nearly 29 years of his career to Acadian Companies.
Richard’s journey with Acadian began in 1996, when he picked up EMT shifts while attending paramedic school at Nicholls State University. After finishing paramedic school, he joined Acadian full time, advancing to lead new initiatives and programs as Acadian Companies expanded its service offerings.
Initially, Richard worked on the ground with Acadian Ambulance in Morgan City, but his time with the swing department took him to nearly every one of Acadian Ambulance’s operating districts. Later, he worked as a flight medic for Acadian Air Med before becoming a founding instructor of the National EMS Academy in 2003.
At the Academy, Richard taught EMT and paramedic courses and contributed to 10 published works. He was the principal author of both the 1st and 2nd editions of Advanced EMT: A Clinical Reasoning Approach. As he advanced within the Academy, he took on managing the recertification, compliance, new employee orientation, ACES, and Critical Care Transport training programs.
In 2013, Richard helped develop and implement Acadian’s first Mobile Healthcare program in the Hub City and New Orleans districts. These programs would eventually serve as the basis for Acadian Health, established in 2021 to provide quality at-home healthcare services. Richard retired in 2025 from his position as operations director of Acadian Health, where he played a pivotal role in onboarding new staff, ensuring quality care within the division, and pursuing growth opportunities.
Participating in Acadian’s Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) has helped Richard lead a relaxing and fulfilling lifestyle in retirement. He volunteers as a licensed tour guide for Friends of the Cabildo, a nonprofit supporting the Louisiana State Museum. He’s welcomed two new grandchildren into the world, bringing his total number of grandchildren to three, and he’s spent a lot of time traveling, including to Paris earlier this year!
Richard is grateful for the autonomy he had to create new processes and programs throughout his tenure with Acadian, ultimately improving patient care and Acadian Companies’ profitability.
“Stick with this company, contribute wherever you can, and always do what is best for the patient and staff,” Richard advises Acadian employees. “And participate in the ESOP.”
Through the Acadian Alumni Association, Richard is eager to see how the next generation of Acadian employees carries the torch and leads the company forward.
