California Hospital Med Center Foundation

Hope Street Margolis Family Center Health Manager Rachel Viloria smiling while standing in front of a handcrafted rainbow

A day in the life of a community health nurse: Rachel Viloria, RN

This National Nurses Week, we are celebrating and honoring the vast contributions, heroic efforts and positive impact that nurses have on our health, our community and our world. Meet one nurse at Hope Street Margolis Family Center at California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) whose role is to help transform the community for the better. Be sure to watch Rachel’s Instagram Stories takeover for National Nurses Week on Monday, May 9, 2022.

Rachel Viloria, RN, arrives at Hope Street Margolis Family Center every day at 7:00 a.m. As Health Manager for the program since September 2021, she acts as the glue for a very interdisciplinary team—including social workers, home visitors, educators, and mental and behavioral health specialists—to ensure that children and families receive the best care possible.

Hope Street Margolis Family Center's Health Team plays an instrumental role in keeping families in our community healthy through interventions that address the social determinants of health (SDOH). SDOHs are recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion as the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

What Is A Community Health Nurse?
As a community health nurse, Rachel works to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities by focusing on the promotion of health and safety, and preventing disease and disability—ensuring communities have a continuum of wellbeing and healthy living.

Rachel Viloria: With Hope Street being a holistic and ecological model of care, my role here is to act as the glue for our interdisciplinary team. Nursing requires a well-rounded, diverse knowledge of everything—from critical thinking and technical skills to child development and public health and safety. My goal at Hope Street is to share this multidimensional lens of thinking with our team so that we can all better understand the interrelation of the different aspects of our families' lives and how we can best support them.

Why Did You Decide to Become a Community Health Nurse?

Rachel Viloria:I went into nursing because I think it is a privilege to be with people in the trenches of their most vulnerable moments and tangibly help them. After working at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit nurse for five years, I witnessed many illnesses and deaths that I knew were completely preventable if people had the right resources and knowledge, and I wanted to be a part of that preventative effort.

Another unique aspect of community health nursing is that with my various nursing interventions, I have the opportunity to impact not only people as individuals, but communities as a whole.

Impact In Action

Recently, Rachel was able to support a family experiencing instability due to the father’s medical condition. While driving to work on the freeway, he suddenly lost his vision. He was subsequently diagnosed with bilateral cortical cataracts—placing an immense hardship on the family since he was the sole financial provider, and his partner could not work as no one would be able to care for their children.

The family was running out of money to pay for their rent and other basic necessities, but was told they did not qualify for disability aid because the condition was reversible. The father was told he would need surgery; however, it would not happen for six months due to insurance issues. Rachel engaged with the family to better understand their situation and what actions could be taken to expedite care. Her advocacy proved successful as the father was able to schedule the critical surgery within just a few weeks as opposed to months away.

With Rachel’s patience and persistence navigating the complex system of medical appointments and insurance, she was able to help stabilize the family so the father can return to work, provide for his family and see his children’s faces once again.Rachel’s care and compassion reflect CHMC’s commitment to improving the health and wellness of our community by focusing on the well-being, development and success of children and families as the cornerstone of creating healthier neighborhoods. Our work is possible in large part thanks to the support of generous donors.

This National Nurses Week, please take a moment to recognize a nurse for the compassion and expertise they showed you or a loved one. Be sure to watch Rachel’s Instagram Stories takeover for National Nurses Week on Monday, May 9.

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A day in the life of a community health nurse: Rachel Viloria, RN

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