Humans of NHC: Meet Lilibeth Morales at SF Department of Public Health!

Lilibeth Morales, MBA (she/her) is a QIP Health Program Coordinator who has been a part of leading NHC SF’s AmeriCorps members at SFDPH in their COVID-19 response related activities. She has been a great support system for us and is deeply appreciated by all of our members, especially during the uncertainty COVID pandemic brings us. Today, we were able to learn more about Lily's background and what led to her joining SFDPH.

Q: What was the moment that you realized this profession was for you?

L: I started volunteering at a primary care practice and that was my introduction to healthcare – I was involved with all aspects of the clinic from billing, conducting outreach, answering phone calls, to creating and maintaining patient relationships. At this small clinic, I learned more about the importance of patient-staff interactions. I realized a lot of the patients considered us family, from this moment I knew we were touching lives which got me interested in healthcare.

Q: What/who inspires you? Why?

L: Professionally, I had a mentor at my prior job who inspired me to continue in healthcare and look beyond the business aspect but also the people aspect. In addition, my mom is someone who inspires me because she is someone who always focuses on the positive side of things and has always been supportive of me.

Q: What do some of your job responsibilities look like?

L: My role at DPH involves leading meetings, conducting/managing projects, and coordinating with others to participate in the meetings and carrying out those projects. Some initiatives I was a part of before the COVID vaccine was available, we knew mass vaccination was going to come so we developed a mass vaccination clinic at Zuckerberg SF General Hospital since only flu vaccines were offered before. I also was involved in developing a lot of workflows when we were new to EPIC (EMR system used by SF Health Network) to the prenatal group. It was important to make sure that their care was interconnected from the prenatal visit, to the moment they delivered their baby, with Children’s Health Center, to postpartum care to ensure we are providing good healthcare.

Q: What was one of the more discouraging moments that you can remember? How did you deal with this situation?

L: I was part of a private clinic where we were interested in healthcare but also we were interested in profits. In the beginning, we saw a wide range of patients from patients with MediCal and private insurances to even movie stars requiring physicals at times. It was great to provide the same type of service to different populations, however eventually the private practice could not sustain that model due to revenue varying between insurance types. The MediCal shareholders had to make a decision whether to serve those patients with MediCal or just with private insurances. They made a decision that they could no longer continue offering services to patients with MediCal. It was a sad moment because we were providing a service to those who could afford it, which in terms of healthcare, it did not feel right to me. I looked for other opportunities that aligned with my own values which led to me joining SF DPH.

Q: What advice do you have for people who are just beginning their journeys towards their career?

L: My advice to anyone who is interested in this career is to always have a goal in mind, but recognizing the plan to get to the goal might not always be the same way you have imagined to get there. Don’t miss an opportunity because it doesn’t fit your exact plan, be flexible, because more experience will help you get towards your goal.

We are so grateful for everything you have done for us Lily, thank you for sharing your experiences and your dedication to caring for the needs of the under-served.