Helena Williams: Community leader and health equity trailblazer

Longtime CERP partner Mrs. Helena Williams is a well-respected community leader as well as owner and CEO of a medical billing corporation (Williams Health Care Enterprise). Hailing from a small town in Louisiana, Mrs. Williams values her family-oriented upbringing as one of seven children. Despite varying obstacles, Helena persevered and became the first in her household to not only pursue post-secondary education, but also graduate with a college degree. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette prior to finding her home in Los Angeles where she settled with her childhood sweetheart, Clarence Williams, Jr.  They have been married for 53 years.

Mrs. Williams’ passion for improving health equity and reducing health disparities started long before her partnership with CERP. Not only was Mrs. Williams’s mother a licensed vocational nurse, but her godmother was also a registered nurse. Healthcare delivery and access to care have always been a cornerstone of Mrs. Williams’s passion to bring awareness and resources to underserved populations. Her prominence in local communities across Los Angeles County has helped to facilitate and build stronger, bidirectional relationships between these communities and the CERP team. Mrs. Williams has shared her knowledge and expertise through many CERP working groups, community action boards, and advisory panels to improve and culturally tailor research projects for diverse communities.

As a registered nurse, a longtime member of Lincoln Memorial United Church of Christ, and recently elected Board Chair of The Gailen and Cathy Reevers Center for Community Empowerment, Mrs. Williams has worked closely with many health systems and community stakeholders (including Charles Drew University, Providence Medical Center, and the University of Southern California) to help fight disparities in access to health care. She has found networking and meeting like-minded individuals to be some of her most rewarding experiences – and lives by her motto: “God first, family second, and everything else, a distant third.”

Fun Facts:

• Mrs. Williams has two amazing children: Clarence Williams, III, a Sergeant with the LA County Sheriff’s Office, and Angela Williams, employed as a 911 dispatch Operator and two grandchildren
• Greens of any kind (collard, turnip, etc.) are a big no for Helena.