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GUEST COLUMNIST

VIRGINIA AGUILLON, Administrative Director of Behavioral Health and Rehab

My family and I grew up very poor; my mother used to clean houses for a living. Some of the homes she cleaned were in Alamo Heights and I would help her. After we were done, we would drive by the University of Incarnate Word. It was at that time that I fell in love with the campus just from driving by it. I also remember all the beautiful Christmas lights they would put up. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to attend that school. After high school, I received my LVN license from St. Phillip’s College. My mother passed away while I was in nursing school, which delayed things a little bit. I also didn’t get to walk the stage, but she believed in me and told me that one day I would be a student at Incarnate Word. Surely, I proceeded to receive my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science Nursing in Leadership. I have been working with the Methodist Healthcare System for 22 years. I started as an LVN in September of 2000 and later became a registered nurse. In 2020, I became the Administrative Director of Behavioral Health and Rehab. While it has been a challenging journey, I am forever grateful to Methodist for helping me receive an education to pursue this career. All three of my children have been born at a Methodist facility as well. Methodist holds a special place in my heart and in my family’s.

March is Women’s History Month, and a woman in my life who inspires me in the U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor. Ms. Sotomayor has been a voice for women and ethnic minorities when it comes to criminal justice issues. I have embraced equity through my work in behavioral health by doing my best to advocate for my staff members’ educational opportunities in order for them to advance in their clinical knowledge and careers. Behavioral health is just a small portion of the medical field, however, it has a huge impact. Advocating for our behavioral health patients is important to me because they too need a voice to ensure they receive the proper treatment and care. The behavioral health patient population has a tendency to be neglected and dismissed. Together, we can promote and celebrate diversity. We can highlight diversity at the different facilities by also recognizing the diversity of leadership. We should encourage employee participation in the various college networks, provide more education on cultural awareness to allow staff to feel more comfortable when interacting with diversity among patients.

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