On the September 9 episode of Days of our Lives, EJ was delighted to let Stephanie in on his plan to launch a free clinic as part of Salem University Hospital. Stephanie was all for it… until she was against it. (We know EJ has something nefarious planned for that construction, but Stephanie doesn’t.) And her reasons may not have been as good as Stephanie thought they were. At least, not where her mom is concerned.
EJ’s Free Clinic Proposal Promises Big Change for Salem
EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) explained to Stephanie (Abigail Klein) that he was building a free clinic. Health care! Preventive care! Dental care! Vision care! Psychiatric care (God knows, the citizens of Salem need that last one most desperately)!
Cool, Stephanie said. I am your public relations person. This will actually lead to good relations with the public. This will make my job easier. You go, EJ!
The DiMera Family Name Sparks Tension With Stephanie
But when EJ said he’d be calling it the DiMera Family Free Clinic, Stephanie took all that back. Who cares if poor people would be able to access free medical, dental, vision, and psychiatric care?
Not if it has the DiMera name on it! They can all go sick, toothless, blind, and disturbed, if it means the DiMera name might be associated with doing some much-needed good in the community! And Stephanie isn’t the only one who feels that way. She’s sure her mom will, too.
Will Kayla Back Her Daughter or Put Patients First?
Remember when EJ suggested making some cuts to balance the budget and keep the hospital open? Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) threw a full-out fit, explaining that the patients come first, and nothing is more important than the patients. Patients, patients, patients!
Yet, when it came to the possibility of those same patients knowing that they were getting their care because of a DiMera, Stephanie felt confident her mom would disagree. And so would her entire staff. If it came down to helping patients or admitting a DiMera could do something good, well, the patients would have to fend for themselves. No DiMera was going to make life good for the poor — publicly. Stephanie is sure her mom would agree. That’s quite a self-own there, Steph.
