Brenda Robles-Cooke, President & CEO, Delaware Valley Community Health

Brenda Robles Cooke, MBA is President and CEO of Delaware Valley Community Health (DVCH), one of the region's largest federally qualified health center organizations, providing comprehensive primary medical, dental, behavioral health, and preventive care to thousands of patients throughout the Philadelphia area regardless of their ability to pay. She assumed the role of President & CEO on January 1, 2026, after more than 30 years of service with the organization. Brenda began her career at DVCH as an intern in 1995 and steadily advanced through a series of leadership positions, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative and Compliance Officer. Throughout her career, she has helped lead the organization's growth, expansion of health centers, accreditation efforts, compliance initiatives, and strategic planning, while championing access to high-quality, culturally competent healthcare for underserved communities. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from The College of New Jersey and an MBA in Health Administration from Temple University. Brenda is also a graduate of the Philadelphia Urban League Leadership Institute and has been recognized for her commitment to community health and leadership. Her passion for mentoring future healthcare leaders and expanding equitable healthcare access continues to shape DVCH's mission and vision.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
On this edition of CEOs, you should know we're highlighting
a leader dedicated to expanding access to quality healthcare across
our region. Brenda Roblas Cook is the president and CEO
of Delaware Valley Community Health, a nonprofit network that is
provided affordable, culturally responsive medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare for
more than fifty years. We'll talk about her vision for

(00:21):
community health, the organization's growing impact, and my strong partnerships
are essential to building healthier communities. Well, first of all,
congratulations on becoming the president and CEO of Delaware Valley
Community Health. Tell us about your journey and what inspired
you to lead this organization.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Oh, my journey to community health, it's a very interesting one. So.
I was actually born in Puerto Rico and I came
to the States when I was ten years old. I
actually we moved to the Bronx and then we ended
up in Norck, New Jersey. I was the first generation
in my family to graduate high school and I have

(00:59):
a MBA in healthcare administration. I came to the Philadelphia
area to get a MBA in healthcare administration. I originally
wanted to be a nursing home administrator. I interviewed at hospitals,
I interviewed at a nursing home and then community health.
I had never heard of community health. Quickly got involved

(01:19):
in the community health world and got a job as
the health center manager of the Marie de Losanto's Health
Center and I have been there for thirty years, the
first twenty three years as the chief Operations Officer and
most recently as the compliance officer for the organization, and
most recently as of January, the CEO.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
That's wonderful now. Delaware Valley Community Health has been serving
the region for decades. What do you believe sets this
organization apart from other healthcare providers?

Speaker 2 (01:50):
What sets us apart is our mission. We have a
mission to provide quality healthcare, culturally competent care, and we
also have a slow fees scale for those patients that
do not have insurance or are uninsurable that they come in.
We're a trusted partner. Our health centers are warm and welcoming.

(02:11):
Our providers have you know, it's there in their mission
and they provide great care to the community.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Access to healthcare remains a challenge for many families. What
are the biggest barriers you're seeing today and how is
your organization helping to address them.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Many barriers that we're facing as an organization, reduction of
reimbursement rates by our managed care companies. We're all so
since COVID, we've had to re educate the community about
coming in to their primary care doctor, so we've seen
less patient visits. We are also facing increased competition as

(02:48):
well as our workforce. People are getting more money to
practice elsewhere. We are also being faced with less providers
that are bicultural, bilingual to take care of, you know,
the Hispanic Latino community. So we have challenges and off fronts.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
As DVCH recently partnered with US for Sister strut highlighting
the importance of community partnerships. Why are collaborations like this
so important to your mission?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Collaborations are very important to our mission. It's one way
to get our name out there, get our services out
there by partnering with community organizations that are trusted partners.
It's important that we do outreach that I'm also very
visible representing the organization. If we can get our partners
to collaborate more, we can have a broader reach for

(03:40):
our communities.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Looking ahead, what new initiatives or priorities are you most
excited about as you lead the organization into its next chapter?

Speaker 2 (03:48):
As I lead the organization to the next chapter. What
I am most excited about and happy to talk about
is that, together with three other health centers, we have
purchased our own instant of EPIC, the ehr My Chart,
and I am so excited to be able to offer
the community our patients this technology, the access that the

(04:11):
patients will have to us, to specialists, to their laves,
to their referrals. I can't talk enough about it. You know,
EPIC is world class and we're bringing world class to
our communities.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
For someone who's never visited a Delaware Valley community health location,
what services are available and what would you like the
community to know about access and care.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
We offer a Delaware Valley community health We offer adult medicine,
family medicine, pediatrics, obsetrics, gynecology services, dental pedietry, optometry, behavioral health, nutrition, counseling,
and soon we will also have a clinical massage therapist

(04:53):
on site to take care of the communities.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
And this is my fun bonus question. If you were
to talk to your eighteen year old self, what advice
would you give her.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
If I were to talk to my eighteen year old self,
I would say, girl, I'm so proud of you. You know,
this was graduating first in my family from high school,
being a role model at DVCH for the last thirty years,
seeing some of our employees that I've mentored along the way,
even as the CEO, walking around our health centers. We

(05:26):
actually have ten health centers that you can actually go
to and seeing the faces and hearing the staff say
you make it possible to dream. That is the most
I am so proud to have been the person that
can stand up as a role model for our staff
and our community.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
Beautiful. If people would like more information about the Delaware
Vallet Community Health Organization, how do they find out more?

Speaker 2 (05:53):
To contact DVCH or learn about our health centers, you
can go to our website. It's www dot DVCH dot org.
We have ten locations located in the North Philadelphia area.
We also have a health center in Northtown, the Northtown
Regional Health Center, as well as other small practices throughout
the surrounding areas.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
All right, well, I want to thank you so much.
In this edition of CEOs, you should know we've been
speaking with Brenda Roblas Cook, who's the president and CEO
of Delaware Valley Community Health, a nonprofit network that has
provided affordable, culturally responsive medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare for
more than fifty years.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Thanks so much, Thank you for having me.