27 Jul Why We Serve – Bridging the Gap in Healthcare
Photo of Cecilia Aviles, member of the RMHC Bay Area Board of Directors, with daughters Alexandra (far left) and Anneliese.
Cecilia Aviles knew from a young age that she wanted to make an impact in the medical field. As the daughter and granddaughter of Salvadoran immigrants, she witnessed firsthand how difficult it was for her family to access medical care in the Bay Area.
Like many children of immigrants, Cecilia was the primary translator for her family members, recalling a day in first grade when she was taken out of school to accompany her grandmother to doctor’s appointments. “(My grandmother) was a severe diabetic who could not speak English, and her doctor could not speak Spanish. At that young age, I didn’t necessarily have the language to express it, but I knew that it was so important to be able to communicate what my grandmother’s symptoms were and what the doctor was saying back to her,” Cecilia said. “I didn’t have the term at the time to say, ‘I saw the inequities in healthcare.’ I just knew that my grandmother needed help.”
The experience set Cecilia on the path to becoming a pediatric trauma nurse. Cecilia later returned to school to earn her MBA, driven by the desire to affect change across the healthcare system and make an impact beyond the one-to-one nurse-to-patient relationship. Today, Cecilia is the Senior Operations Executive for Sutter Health’s largest ambulatory division, holding COO-level responsibility and overseeing more than 2,400 employees and 765 clinicians. Her division’s clinics serve more than 350,000 patients, and she is responsible for their operational response to the COVID-19 pandemic in San Mateo County and parts of Santa Clara County.
``...I just knew that my grandmother needed help.”
“I want to have the largest impact on healthcare that I can have, and RMHC Bay Area is right there in that heart center for me, in terms of having impact on families,” Cecilia said. Enter her decision to join RMHC Bay Area’s board of directors.
Cecilia was drawn to the organization’s holistic view of healing and is motivated by RMHC Bay Area’s belief in family-centered care. “Ronald McDonald House is really looking at the entire nucleus for each child and supporting the whole family,” Cecilia explained. “To be able to help families through what oftentimes is their hardest journey, keeping them together and united – that in itself is healing.”
Her board service is part of a broader commitment to giving back—a value she instills in her two daughters, 16-year-old Alexandra and 12-year-old Anneliese. Cecilia incorporates philanthropy into her family’s everyday lives, from being involved in National Charity League, to volunteering at the Raphael House in San Francisco, to committing three random acts of kindness on Sundays. “These random acts of kindness amplify life,” said Cecilia. “When you pull the best out of something, it just continues to give and give.”
In addition to philanthropy, connection is what Cecilia values most in life – something she said RMHC Bay Area exemplifies through its ability to connect to people and highlight the appreciation, respect, and value of one another.
“To be able to help families through what oftentimes is their hardest journey, keeping them together and united – that in itself is healing.”
As she navigates her first year as a member of the RMHC Bay Area board of directors, Cecilia is excited for all that is to come. Bringing it full circle, Cecilia pointed to the lasting impact the organization has on families and its evolution is something she is excited to be involved in. “The way that RMHC was serving families 25 years ago isn’t the way it’s serving families now, and it’ll be different 25 years from now, but the core values remain the same: support, access, and healing. That’s exciting to me.”
Story by Hilary Marvin, communications coordinator
Photo of Cecilia Aviles, member of the RMHC Bay Area Board of Directors, with daughters Alexandra (far left) and Anneliese.
Cecilia Aviles knew from a young age that she wanted to make an impact in the medical field. As the daughter and granddaughter of Salvadoran immigrants, she witnessed firsthand how difficult it was for her family to access medical care in the Bay Area.
Like many children of immigrants, Cecilia was the primary translator for her family members, recalling a day in first grade when she was taken out of school to accompany her grandmother to doctor’s appointments. “(My grandmother) was a severe diabetic who could not speak English, and her doctor could not speak Spanish. At that young age, I didn’t necessarily have the language to express it, but I knew that it was so important to be able to communicate what my grandmother’s symptoms were and what the doctor was saying back to her,” Cecilia said. “I didn’t have the term at the time to say, ‘I saw the inequities in healthcare.’ I just knew that my grandmother needed help.”
The experience set Cecilia on the path to becoming a pediatric trauma nurse. Cecilia later returned to school to earn her MBA, driven by the desire to affect change across the healthcare system and make an impact beyond the one-to-one nurse-to-patient relationship. Today, Cecilia is the Senior Operations Executive for Sutter Health’s largest ambulatory division, holding COO-level responsibility and overseeing more than 2,400 employees and 765 clinicians. Her division’s clinics serve more than 350,000 patients, and she is responsible for their operational response to the COVID-19 pandemic in San Mateo County and parts of Santa Clara County.
``...I just knew that my grandmother needed help.”
“I want to have the largest impact on healthcare that I can have, and RMHC Bay Area is right there in that heart center for me, in terms of having impact on families,” Cecilia said. Enter her decision to join RMHC Bay Area’s board of directors.
Cecilia was drawn to the organization’s holistic view of healing and is motivated by RMHC Bay Area’s belief in family-centered care. “Ronald McDonald House is really looking at the entire nucleus for each child and supporting the whole family,” Cecilia explained. “To be able to help families through what oftentimes is their hardest journey, keeping them together and united – that in itself is healing.”
Cecilia and daughter, Anneliese, goofing around.
Her board service is part of a broader commitment to giving back—a value she instills in her two daughters, 16-year-old Alexandra and 12-year-old Anneliese. Cecilia incorporates philanthropy into her family’s everyday lives, from being involved in National Charity League, to volunteering at the Raphael House in San Francisco, to committing three random acts of kindness on Sundays. “These random acts of kindness amplify life,” said Cecilia. “When you pull the best out of something, it just continues to give and give.”
In addition to philanthropy, connection is what Cecilia values most in life – something she said RMHC Bay Area exemplifies through its ability to connect to people and highlight the appreciation, respect, and value of one another.
“To be able to help families through what oftentimes is their hardest journey, keeping them together and united – that in itself is healing.”
As she navigates her first year as a member of the RMHC Bay Area board of directors, Cecilia is excited for all that is to come. Bringing it full circle, Cecilia pointed to the lasting impact the organization has on families and its evolution is something she is excited to be involved in. “The way that RMHC was serving families 25 years ago isn’t the way it’s serving families now, and it’ll be different 25 years from now, but the core values remain the same: support, access, and healing. That’s exciting to me.”
Story by Hilary Marvin, communications coordinator
About our Board of Directors
We have an incredible volunteer board of directors made up of individuals who take a personal interest in their community and those in it. Read more about who they are and why they choose to serve families with sick children.
About our Board of Directors
We have an incredible volunteer board of directors made up of individuals who take a personal interest in their community and those in it. Read more about who they are and why they choose to serve families with sick children.