Yolo López Pérez will begin serving as the patient advocate for the Center for Healing & Hope on October 3, following two weeks of orientation.

In this half-time position, López Pérez will assist the Center’s patients within the healthcare system, advocating for them with medical and social service providers.

López Pérez has served in ministry in Central America, first in Costa Rica for two and a half years and most recently in Panama where she started a children’s ministry in a church. She also has been a reporter for a local radio station. She is a graduate of Goshen College with a major in broadcasting and a minor in youth ministry.

“In this role I can combine ministry and my skills in communication,” López Pérez said. “I look forward to assisting people with their needs, using my bilingual skills and learning how to expand my communication vocation with this kind of advocacy.”

Rebecca Gascho, director of the Center for Healing and Hope, said, “Yolo brings a heart for people to this role. Her skills in speaking more than one language and in understanding people from diverse backgrounds will be an asset for both the Center and the people we serve.”

López Pérez lives in Elkhart with her husband and two young children.