Yvette Cope has devoted her entire working life to healthcare.
Graduating from Kent State in Ohio with a degree in nursing, she earned a Master of Science degree in nursing administration from CSU Dominguez Hills. Nursing jobs followed at Sierra Vista in San Luis Obispo; Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona; UC Davis; and Duke University in North Carolina. In 2010, she came to Lompoc Valley Medical Center (LVMC), where she has been director of the medical-surgical unit, director of the critical care unit, and director of the emergency department. In 2018, she became chief nursing officer and later chief operations officer as well.
Now, only eight months after becoming LVCM’s first female CEO in 70 years, she finds herself point person for some of the biggest potential challenges in the medical center’s history.
If sweeping federal budget cuts pass Congress as feared, they could result in the loss of some $20 million from LVMC’s total annual operating revenue of $162 million. This 13 percent reduction would have a substantial effect on LVMC, where tight budgets already stretch resources. President Trump has insisted that he has no intention of touching Medicaid, yet the proposed budget directs Congress to find $880 billion in cuts that make Medicaid a seismic target.
LVMC and its thousand employees are a major support to the Lompoc economy. Any downsizing could have economic effects on the entire community. More importantly, it could affect the ability of the public to readily obtain the care they need.
LVMC is financially healthy right now. In recent years, LVMC has acquired and taken over operations of two previously independent clinics: the Valley Medical Group and the Lompoc Sansum Clinic. An oncology clinic was established as well. These moves resulted in a big jump in the number of physicians from six in 2016 to 40 currently.
As a new CEO, Cope brings fresh ideas and a wealth of healthcare and administrative experience, suggesting she will be prepared for shifting political winds. Hospital insiders note that, with Cope’s mounting responsibilities over her 15 years at LVMC, she has demonstrated herself to be an increasingly gifted and assertive leader.
“She is very strong. She is not afraid to tell people ‘no,’” says Dr. Elham Novin-Baheran, an LVMC boardmember. She has maintained a collegial culture and asks that “patients be treated as family.”
She may be less known outside of LVMC, though this is changing as she serves on the board of directors of no fewer than eight community organizations, not to mention serving as Honorary Commander at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Cope’s work ethic is legendary, and she acts with efficiency. She responded immediately to the ominous signs in Washington. She quickly met with leadership of CenCal, the agency that administers Medicaid funds in Santa Barbara County, and with county Supervisor Joan Hartmann. A meeting with Congressmember Salud Carbajal was also planned. She has sent letters to congressional leaders in California and Washington as well as to local Lompoc community leaders. She also plans visits to Sacramento and Washington.
Cope graciously acknowledges the help of two LVMC CEO predecessors: Steve Popkin, who retired when Cope took over seven months ago, and Jim Raggio, who preceded Popkin.
Her team is savvy and collegial. Asked whether she might pursue Elon Musk, whose SpaceX company has requested her hospital to stand alert for each of their ever-more frequent launches, she replies “We already have. We started in October. No response yet,” she smiles.
Lompoc Hospital District was established in 1946 as a public state healthcare district and is governed by an elected Board of Directors. Contact Cope at copey@lompocvmc.com.
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