Faces of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic: Vilma Lopez

This series spotlights non-provider colleagues who are helping create a safe, healing and compassionate environment both in and out of the hospital.

On a recent Friday afternoon, Vilma Lopez, manager of Community Health & Well-Being at Saint Francis Hospital, was supposed to leave early. Her grandmother in Puerto Rico passed away and she had a flight to catch to be with loved ones. But then she received a call from Saint Francis Family Practice that made her stay.

A patient, whom Lopez had never met before, was tearfully asking for her by name. This individual’s water was turned off by their landlord two days prior, leaving the patient, along with their 97-year-old mother and disabled brother, in an awful predicament. Could Lopez help?

Absolutely.

Though Lopez and her team don’t deal directly with water and electrical matters, she takes pride in being a connector of resources. Quickly, she got the patient in touch with the Housing Authority, who sent a team—including a Spanish translator—to their house within the hour and resolved the situation.

Lopez’s reputation for going above and beyond to help others often precedes her. But after 23 years of selflessly meeting the needs of patients, colleagues and community members at Saint Francis, it’s not surprising.

For Lopez, her goal has always been simple: treat every person with compassion and empathy. Whether they’re homeless, uninsured or simply struggling one month to make ends meet, there’s no judgement—especially because Lopez understands their experience firsthand. There was a time when she didn’t have a place to sleep, had to make the last can of formula stretch for days and struggled to afford diapers. She knows the impossible choice of paying rent or getting something to eat.

“I learned not to judge because nobody knows anybody’s story. We all have a need,” says Lopez. “Even if we’ve never experienced this, we could in a year or two. I’m blessed now, but I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I may get sick and may not be able to live off my income. I may have to be one of the patients coming through this door. So I always treat them like, ‘That could be me, that could be a family member,’ and that’s, I think, what makes the difference.”

Finding her calling

A passion for community health was discovered after working for some time at Saint Francis as a medical assistant (MA). Though Lopez never envisioned herself in health care, she was a natural, quickly advancing from family practice intern to full-time MA. But it wasn’t until she transitioned from the main hospital to its Saint Clare Medical Outreach Van, where she worked directly with the homeless and uninsured, that she found her true calling.

“I just loved it. That was my happy second home,” says Lopez, who served as an MA in the van for 16 years. “I’d check in at the hospital in the morning, then would be out all day seeing patients of all backgrounds and cultures. They were so happy and appreciative of what we were doing, even if we were just giving them a pair of glasses.”

The logical next step for Lopez was to become a Community Health Worker, a move that allowed her to make an even greater impact as she identified needs and unique ways to meet them. For example, when the Saint Francis gift shop closed during COVID, she rallied to utilize the empty space. Thanks to her efforts, the Healthy Village Equity Center was born. Offering medical equipment, incontinence and hygiene products, car seats, diapers and formula, it’s a one-stop shop for patients, colleagues and community members to get the essentials with zero judgement.

“When a patient comes in, we’re able to sit down with them and do a social screening. What needs can we help with? Most are by appointment, which are an hour. I don’t want a patient or colleague being at their most vulnerable and having people coming through and hearing their story. We make sure that privacy is No. 1,” says Lopez.

The Equity Center relies on grants and donations, with Lopez and her team displaying with care all items that come through the door. For anyone with a need, she wants it to feel like a normal shopping experience.

“It’s not messy and limited. When they come in, they’re often surprised, like, ‘I’m not going to just get whatever you’re giving me?’ They can pick what they like. They’re not stuck with whatever is left over,” says Lopez. “They feel like they’re coming to a place where they’re going to be heard. They’re not going to be judged.”

Lopez’s work with the Equity Center doesn’t even scratch the surface of all that she does at Saint Francis and in the surrounding community. Her days are also comprised of coordinating a diabetes prevention program across Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, managing the Tiny Steps maternity support services program, packing meals for colleagues through the Surplus Program, and volunteering at her church to help with a food pantry and Adopt a Family.

All the while, she serves as an example to her two sons—one a constable at Saint Francis, one an EMS provider and soon-to-be doctor—of how important it is to love what you do.

That love is evident to all who encounter Lopez. One woman, whose husband is on dialysis at the hospital, stops by three times a week to give her a hug. It’s clear that Lopez is making the impact she always hoped for.

“I don’t want to be remembered by just my name. I want to be remembered as someone who cared for others, someone who loved people, someone who cared for everyone, regardless of who they are,” says Lopez.

For anyone who has been to Lopez’s office, she’ll also be remembered for her impressive collection of Groot figurines and memorabilia.

“He’s my support person,” Lopez says of her favorite character with a laugh.

Sometimes, even the most caring individuals need something—like an extraterrestrial tree – to lean on.

Visit Community Health & Well-Being at Trinity Health for more information on community initiatives at Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic.