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In honor of National Women’s History Month, throughout March, we are shining a spotlight on prominent women in the Redwood City community. Diverse women, from different fields, with unique experiences – these are their stories. As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly begins to transition into the endemic stage, this week’s spotlight could not be more relevant.
Lisa Tealer, Executive Director of the Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council (BACHAC), has spent her entire career advocating for underserved communities throughout the Bay Area. Her commitment to increasing proper access to healthcare and health education is palpable. Through her incredible 30+ years of service, Tealer has brought much-needed medical screenings, testing, supplies and educational programs to African American and diverse communities.
The Redwood City Pulse sat down with Tealer to discuss her journey through the field of healthcare and the importance of continuing to inspire women wavemakers in our community.
Redwood City Pulse: Do you feel there’s a lack of female leadership in your field? What's the most important thing we can do to help change that?
Tealer: There are quite a few women of color, and African American women, that are leading amazing non-profit organizations. However, we don’t get the visibility. We are often not in the room, not at the table. We don’t necessarily get profiled or recognized for the work that we do.
It’s really important for these women to be recognized for the work they’re doing within our community and the positive impact that they’re trying to make. Also, a lot of times, there are people out there that don’t have titles that are real leaders in the community. They’re just out there doing the work, doing what’s needed to serve the needs of our community.
When I first made the transition from corporate to non-profit, I was often in meetings with folks that expected non-profit organizations to do things for free. I recognized very quickly that this was an inequity. In corporate, if we asked someone to consult or be a thought partner or expert, we paid for that. There’s a contract, and you compensate that person for their expertise. But, somehow, when someone is asked to be a bridge or representative for a community, it’s a given that they’re going to do that for free.
We don’t often position ourselves to be worthy or to be acknowledged. For those folks who do have the resources – like a corporation, a government agency, or whoever – you need to be supporting those individuals and valuing their time to serve on your boards, committees, etc. I had to spend a lot of time educating folks that the expertise they were asking for is no different from any other field and that people should be compensated for their time. They’re using their reputational capital, their relationships, to connect you to the community you’re trying to serve.
Redwood City Pulse: How did you get here, and is this something you always knew you wanted to do? In other words, how did your upbringing, education or early career lead you to this point, and what’s your advice to other women who may be interested in a similar path?
Tealer: I think it really comes down to role models. I remember my 4th-grade science teacher, Mrs. Galloway, and how she made science cool. I was a child of the 60s, and she wore cool boots and dressed in hip turtlenecks, and she was teaching us the different bones in the body and the circulatory system and all that. It was that early exposure that really opened my eyes to the world of science as a possibility for my future. I think it’s so critical to either see folks that look like you or you can relate to that take you under their wing if you’re interested.
I was also blessed and fortunate because I have parents who are educators. I saw how hard they worked to educate so many children; using money from their own pockets to do things, applying for grants, and teaching in both traditional and non-traditional ways. Also, my grandmother – who just had a high school education, but loved math – helped me with my homework and algebra.
The combination of all these things really brought me to this point. You often don’t know at the time how someone is impacting your life until much later. On the other side, you don’t know how or when you might be impacting someone’s life.
Redwood City Pulse: Given that most jobs left, or lost, during the pandemic were by women, how do you see us start to recover from this? What can we do to help?
Tealer: As women, we tend to not ask for what we need. So, that’s the first place to start. Depending on your circumstances, figure out what resources you need. Is it childcare, is it training or retraining, and ask a lot of questions of your local community to find the organizations where you can get the support you need. Could it be from a school, a faith-based leader, information at the library? It’s amazing how much information you can get by asking your community: ask other women, other families, and other children, and how much support we can provide each other to sustain our communities.
When the pandemic hit, I started finding out about all these programs that folks in my community didn’t know anything about. San Mateo County has a lot of resources. The challenge is that those resources aren’t always getting to the people that need them the most. And women and women of color are typically in that category.
Redwood City Pulse: Although we've come a ways historically, what’s one of the main obstacles you feel women still face, and where would you like to see us this time next year?
Tealer: Well, one thing is, health disparity was around before the pandemic started, and it magnified itself during the pandemic. And health disparities are still here. There’s still a pandemic of health inequities, racism and bias. This idea of “going back to normal” wasn’t working for the folks that I’m serving, so we’re definitely not interested in going back.
In the near term, we really need to look at how people access healthcare and how we deliver it. The people I serve don’t have a lot of resources; transportation might be an issue, childcare, so we need to provide care and education where people are. They’re picking up their kids from school, so can we do a clinic at a neighborhood school? They’re at the grocery store, laundromats… Where are people already going so that we can provide as many resources and services as possible there? And not just the obvious ones, like blood pressure screenings, but people may need access to mental health services or other things. We’re seeing a lot of depression, anxiety, and domestic violence, especially since the start of the pandemic, which are immediate needs that need to be addressed, so let’s try to offer as many wrap-around services as we can.
We also need to be co-creating services and delivery models with the community that are culturally competent so that people understand it and participate. I use the example of my dad, who was an educator, and oftentimes he would teach math on the basketball court. He took something his students were already doing and enjoyed and made math more relevant to them.
And for the long-term, our needs are really systemic and transformational change when it comes to healthcare, health delivery and health education because the system wasn’t built for us or by us. We know policy dictates funding, process and practices, so there need to be policy changes that ultimately impact funding and resources.
Redwood City Pulse: To dig deeper, do you feel minority women/women of color continue to face hurdles & pay gaps, and how can we help address this?
Tealer: I think a big part of this is to look for your champions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your colleagues or mentors, and form your support system.
Also, know your worth. A lot of times, I didn’t ask to be at the table, I would just show up. Of course, I would do my due diligence and ask questions, but I didn’t always ask for permission. I would speak up, or call out – in a constructive manner – for the needs of the community I’m serving, for the folks that are not here that I’m representing. There are usually other folks in the room or on the call that are thinking the same thing you are.
Redwood City Pulse: To wrap up, more of a fun question… Is there a book, film, organization or person you find especially empowering that you want others to know about?
Tealer: The person that really comes to mind is Dr. Kim Rhoads. She’s a physician by training, a colorectal surgeon and epidemiologist out of UCSF, and she is just incredible. She has this awesome ability to take science and medicine and translate it to how it’s going to impact the community. That takes amazing skill.
She is definitely a mentor and a friend, and I’ve learned so much from her, especially in these last three years. She is fearless and does a lot for young folks and the community. Look her up, see her in action, watch her giving a talk – she is so inspiring – and not just for people of color, but for people in general. However, I can uplift her and all the great things that she does; I will. She’s also the founder of Umoja Health, which I’m also a part of. She truly does not cease to amaze me.
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