The VHL is made up of three pillars: the institutions, the contents (sources of information) and the users.

The three pillars of the VHL: the institutions, the contents and the users.

Based on the collaborative network model, with decentralized operation, the VHL is developed by institutions working in the field of health information, whether public, private, non-governmental organizations, government instances of management, research, teaching and/or health services. This network of institutions, also called the VHL Network, is one of the pillars of the VHL.

The institutions share the responsibility of producing the contents that are available at the VHL portals, counting on the work of information professionals who work in information centers, libraries, archives, documentation centers, evidence nuclei, among others.

As of 2019, autonomous health information professionals became part of the VHL Network as collaborators, expanding the scope of the network beyond the institutions.

By being part of the VHL Network, the institutions and information professionals expand the visibility of scientific production, promote equitable access to information, develop capacities for information management and promote the exchange of knowledge among their peers, in addition to collaborating to consolidate the VHL as a public good of reference for information and knowledge in the field of health in the LA&C Region.

The VHL Directory provides information on each member of the VHL Institution Network.

The contents generated, selected, and systematized by the network of institutions and information professionals make the second pillar of the VHL, being its driving force.

At the VHL, these contents, organized and made available to meet the information needs of users, are called Sources of Information. Sources of Information are represented by means of databases, directories, and catalogues.

Each type of source of information has its metadata structure for describing the content (the information) and ways of accessing the full text.

Being the raison d'être of any library or information service, users form the third pillar of the VHL, and are essential for the fulfillment of its mission. The users of the VHL are managers, researchers, students, clinical, teaching and health care professionals.

It is with a focus on users that the institutions responsible for the contents made available at the VHL work continuously to improve and promote their sources of information. Continuously, they promote studies that identify and anticipate information needs, establishing an open channel of communication with users.