Faces of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic: Yolanda Garcia
March 19, 2026Categories: Faces of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic
This series spotlights non-provider colleagues who are helping create a safe, healing and compassionate environment both in and out of the hospital.
When Yolanda Garcia stepped into her role as a community health worker at Saint Francis Hospital, it was recommended that she start with only two patients per day until she got acclimated. But she didn’t quite stick to that.
“I was putting seven on the schedule,” Garcia says with a laugh. “When they called and told me their story, I had to help. I’m Christian, and God always said to give love. So that’s what I’m trying to show them—love and compassion. I’m here for them.”
Each day, Garcia goes above and beyond to carefully listen to patients’ unique needs and figure out ways to meet them. Whether she’s delivering car seats and formula to new mothers at the hospital, connecting patients to assistance with electric bills, distributing hygiene products, packing meals or translating medical information for non-English speakers, Garcia does it all with a smile—and, for those who want it, a warm hug.
“When I have patients who are homeless and living in their cars, especially in the winter, I get them anything they need,” says Garcia. “I had one woman who left her abusive husband without bringing anything. She had a child and needed everything for them—clothes, food. To be able to provide all those things for her, it was really satisfying. It’s nice to be able to cover some of that need. But when they come and tell me their story, I always wish I could do even more for them.”
Making an impact
For many of these patients, Garcia’s helping hand is more than enough. Every week, at least one returns to Saint Francis to visit Garcia and thank her. Those new mothers who otherwise wouldn’t have been discharged without her car seat assistance often stop by to introduce her to their babies.
“I have patients who call me just to let me know how their day is going, just to give me an update on their life,” says Garcia.
As part of her community health work, Garcia is also a diabetes prevention lifestyle coach and teaches eight virtual classes, including two in Spanish. Through referrals from family practice and speaking to locals at health fairs, Garcia recruits prediabetic individuals to the program, which covers nutrition and fitness tips to lower A1C.
“I encourage patients and motivate them. I always try to stay positive and help them in their journey. At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do it. I didn’t know if it was for me. But I really love it and I’ve gotten great feedback from patients,” says Garcia. “When they graduate, they say they’re sad that they won’t see me anymore. They ask for other classes. A lot of them email me after about their journey and say they couldn’t have done it without me. It’s really nice.”
Finding her calling for community health work
An innate passion for people is something that Garcia always boasted, which is why she was initially drawn toward customer service. As an employee of several major grocery store chains, she went above and beyond for patrons. But eventually, she found herself craving a way to help community members in bigger ways.
The first area that came to mind was health care. In 2019, Garcia spent four days at the hospital with her sister, who suffered from a brain aneurysm. Before her untimely passing, Garcia experienced firsthand the compassion of doctors, nurses and medical staff, who ensured the entire family felt both informed and cared for. Could she do something like that for others in their time of need?
Garcia earned her degree to become a medical assistant and, in 2021, began working at the Saint Francis Center of Hope before transitioning to Saint Francis Hospital. She was in her element, assisting low-income and homeless patients. Her pure love for people was evident—so much so that Vilma Lopez, community health & well-being manager, and Lillian Reyes, community health worker, approached Garcia directly to see if she’d like to join their team.
Admittedly, Garcia was a little hesitant. Would she still be able to help those in need? The most vulnerable groups like older adults, newborns and single mothers? Lopez and Reyes assured her that yes, she would, just in a different way. Instead of taking patients’ vitals, she’d be connecting them to vital resources for food, clothing, shelter, financial assistance and more.
Help is always available
It’s now been a year since Garcia transitioned to community health work, and she couldn’t be happier that, each day, she gets to do what she loves most.
“I’m just here to help. I see everybody the same, no matter what race, age, gender. They need to know that there is help because before I worked at this place, I didn’t know about all these different resources,” says Garcia. “There’s a lot of help out there. They are not alone. There is always somebody there to help and give compassion and love.”
When Garcia isn’t at Saint Francis, she can be found at her church (where she teaches Sunday school lessons to children), spending time in nature at the park and enjoying quality time with her family, including her kids and three cats. She’s also dedicated to constantly improving herself so that, when she steps through those hospital doors each morning, she can show up for patients as the best version of herself.
“One of my goals is to continue learning and gaining more skills, more knowledge to assist those in need,” says Garcia. “One of my favorite quotes from Sir Francis Bacon is, ‘Knowledge is power’.”