Leading the Way Toward a Healthier Tomorrow

DAP HEALTH’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE

Words by Ellen Bluestein

DAP Health’s board of directors includes a powerhouse group of accomplished women committed to making health equity a strategic priority. With an unparalleled level of expertise, the talented board is shaping the future of the organization and setting the standard of care for the rest of the country. Vice Chair Lauri Kibby, a 35-year veteran of the construction and development industries, has led projects from inception to completion. With expertise in business development, Kibby works with startups and small companies to help them achieve their goals. She serves on several Coachella Valley non-profit boards and is co-founder and chief financial officer of Kings Garden, a local agricultural company. Board member Carolyn Caldwell has been president and chief executive officer of St. Mary Medical Center, Long Beach since June 2017. Prior to joining St. Mary Medical Center, Caldwell was Desert Regional Medical Center’s executive officer. With over 20 years’ experience in executive hospital leadership, Caldwell brings to the board an exceptional depth of understanding and a wealth of knowledge. We asked both women to share their thoughts on the importance of serving on the board of DAP Health, their goals for the organization, the challenges of being women in executive leadership positions, and the state of health care. Below is an excerpt of the discussion. Some answers have been edited for clarity.

Why did you choose to sit on the DAP Health board?

Carolyn: My decision to sit on the DAP Health board was an easy one. I’ve been in health care my entire career and unfortunately lost a very dear friend to AIDS. I loved the mission of DAP Health and the work it does to improve the lives of our patients while providing health care to them with dignity and respect.

What does a healthier tomorrow look like to you?

Carolyn: A healthier tomorrow would be a tomorrow where all individuals — regardless of race, sex, gender identity, religion, or sexual orientation — are able to receive health care in a non-judgmental environment.

With so many overwhelming health care challenges today, how do you determine what will be DAP Health’s top priority?

Carolyn: DAP Health’s top priority is our patients, however, as things change, DAP Health must be flexible and nimble to meet the needs of our patients and our community. A perfect example of this is COVID-19. When the pandemic hit, DAP Health quickly realized it had to change the way it delivered care — in a very uncertain time — to better serve our patients as well as our community.

Lauri: I believe that DAP Health is driven by the clientele it serves. Its foundation is delivery of not only

outstanding but equitable health care. But truly, its mission is to serve those who generally don’t have care. I think that DAP Health’s efforts to reach this demographic is its priority as it has mastered the quality and breadth of care.

As a leader in the health care community, how does being a woman impact your decision making? Or does it?

Lauri: My observations, supported by reports in the media, are that women are not provided with the same comprehensive care and often not even competent care; so, I am always observing the conversations we engage in as an organization to make sure that we are not biased in our approach. Additionally, it has influenced how I have contributed to ensure DAP Health has the funding resources to address specific needs in women’s health care.

Are leadership styles gender-specific or are we PAST that?

Carolyn: I hope we are getting past that. I’ve had the opportunity to work for some amazing male and female leaders and I’ve learned a lot from each one of them. I’ve also learned the type of leader I don’t want to be from some leaders I’ve worked with in the past as well.

Lauri: I am not as optimistic, as I still observe differences in both leadership styles but also recognition of contributions by the various genders. I have observed that women still struggle to be seen as an authority or even to be heard or given credence for their contributions. The last number of years with COVID has not helped the situation improve.

How does the DAP Health board ensure a healthy, equitable community?

Carolyn: As a board we must make sure we continue to offer suggestions and support to the leadership of DAP Health about the role we play in the overall health of the community. We must continue to ask the question: What can we do differently to reach those diverse communities in the Coachella Valley to improve their health and provide education whenever possible?

How can the community help support the future vision of DAP Health?

Lauri: I think our community needs to be better informed as to what we, as an organization, do. We were once only aligned with HIV and that has changed. Our current community can assist with this.

What makes an effective board member?

Carolyn: An effective board member is someone who realizes that their role is to support the organization as well as the leaders in achieving the strategic goals. Board members should also serve as ambassadors for the organization in the community.

Do you have a personal motto?

Carolyn: My personal motto is to always try and treat others with kindness and respect regardless of who they are. You never know what a person is going through and a smile or a kind word could make such a difference to them at that moment.

Lauri: Be kind, be generous, and always bring your best self.

In addition to Caldwell and Kibby, DAP Health’s board includes Patrick Jordan, chair; Fred Drewette, treasurer, Mark Hamilton, secretary, and board members Kevin Bass, Ginny Ehrlich, D. Ed, MPH, MS, Jerry Fogelson, Eve E. Fromberg-Edelstein, Esq., Athalie LaPamuk, Bertil Lindblad, Kyle Mudd, and Scott Nevins. To learn more about the thought leaders driving the direction of DAP Health, visit daphealth.org/ourteam/leadership.

ANTHONY VELASCO TALKS ABOUT WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS

Anthony Velasco was reluctant to accept when the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) approached him about joining its board of directors. Even though he is a founder and current president of the Palm Springs chapter, he wondered if he had impostor syndrome. His colleagues knew better, as they elected Anthony director-at-large with ANAC.

ANAC is made up of more than 40 chapters located around the world, with over 2,200 members from 60 countries. Members include social workers, pharmacists, physician assistants, lawyers, and doctors from around the world committed to HIV/ AIDS nursing.

“ANAC is such a great venue to really connect with other people and see what they’re doing and compare what we’re doing,” Velasco says. “It’s so awesome to hear about the research being done on the national level and to see how it could potentially be applied at DAP Health.”

Anthony, who chairs DAP Health’s Transgender Health Program, says the synergy helps both organizations.

“I’ve told ANAC about the work we do at DAP Health and the great interdisciplinary culture we have here, including social work, community health, medical, and mental health,” he says.

DAP Health provides holistic, compassionate, and comprehensive care.

Anthony believes that DAP Health’s approach to care should be the model everywhere. This includes culturally competent care for transgender patients he serves, and more opportunities for nurses of color.

While Filipinos make up about 20 percent of the nursing population in California, Anthony wants them to reach into leadership, research, and academia. (U.S. Census Bureau)

He remembers noticing that there were never Filipino professors teaching his nursing classes as he completed his undergraduate and graduate school degrees in California.

“Representation is one of the motivations I have,” Anthony says. “If a young Filipino nurse entering the field sees someone who looks like them in a leadership position, they will know that they can be in that position someday.”

He provides compassionate care to people living with and without HIV. Caring about people who need special care does not stop there for Anthony.

Representation is one of the motivations I have.

He provides comprehensive gender-affirming care and works to create more access to safe and genderaffirming spaces for all. At DAP Health and elsewhere, he has improved the health care experiences of many transgender patients in the Inland Empire.

He belongs to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).

Anthony is passionate about global health equity and has served on medical missions in Haiti and Honduras. Annually, he gives his time and talent in the Philippines with Global Health Force, a non-profit organization providing access to free health care in underserved communities around the world.

A nurse practitioner and credentialed HIV specialist at DAP Health, Anthony has been working in HIV care since 2010. He is pursuing his doctorate in nursing at the University of Colorado.