Rebecca Sze is one of the most energetic, kind, and funny persons you will ever meet. She always has a smile on her face, despite the hectic schedule she keeps in providing services to low-income, uninsured Asian immigrants who otherwise would have nowhere to go for basic health care. But in fact, it is this fast-paced, nonstop lifestyle that makes her happy and gives her fulfillment, as she continues to come up with new ideas and projects that will better serve the community.

NAWHO interviewed Rebecca to talk about what led her to work in community health care, and what she hopes for the future of Asian Americans and their health.

What led you to seek a career in nursing?

I came to the United States in 1972, and actually came as pre-med. I didn’t have the right requisites to continue on this path, but I did have enough liberal science to pursue a degree in nursing. I worked as a nurse’s aid in a hospital for 6 years, and was fortunate because they wanted to support me in my education. So they gave me a weekend part-time job to help me as I went to school full-time. I finished getting my BS in nursing in two years. I worked as a nurse until I had my first child, and then I decided that I would try working in the community. 

I did this through home health care, supervising 400 home attendants and visiting 300 clients to ensure the delivery of quality home care services at the First Chinese Presbyterian Community Affairs Corporation. I then decided I wanted to get a masters in public administration, and took a second job to support my education. I would work and go to school during the week, get home on Friday, then I would work my other job from 7:00pm until 7:00am on Sunday. I would then look at my daughter, study, and then start the week again! But I didn’t have to get any student loans, and I’m so thankful. This is what I always tell my daughters, there’s always more than one way to get something done, if you really want to do it.

I finished getting my MPA in 1986 and also had my second child. I worked another eight years in home health care, and ended up a nursing supervisor at Beth Israel Medical Center. I can never just do one thing, so I continued to work on home health on the weekends. I eventually became assistant director of nursing at Beth Israel, which was a new position they created for me to work with the evening and night staff. 

When did you join the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center and what attracted you to it?

I had a couple of friends who had gone on from Beth Israel and they asked me if I wanted to try community health care. I was very interested in the idea, but it meant a $10,000 pay cut and also reduction in pension from 11% to 1%. Pretty tough! But I talked with my husband and he said that if I really wanted to do it, I should go for it. So I did and that’s how I started as director of patient services at Chinatown Health Clinic in 1995, which today is the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center.

When I was hired, I was told I was the 104^th employee. Today we have over 400 staff – can you believe it? I was also told that my goal was to “fix the system,” and change from the free clinic style we had to more like a private practice. In those days, people didn’t make appointments – they had to stand in line and it would be first come, first served. I had to change this, and it was hard. The mentality in the community was so strong about not making appointments, and that if you just go there, you expect to be seen. They were used to 20 years of this. 

So I formed a committee of nurses and patients, and worked hard to get everyone’s buy-in and input, and we slowly started to make changes. Then they asked me if I would also become director of the nursing department, and as you can tell by now, I said “okay” [laughs]. I continue to do that to this day in addition to directing women’s health.

Being director of the nursing department, you could really see that staff compensation was not as good in community care compared to working in a hospital. At the same time, our services required certain skills, especially the need to be bilingual. So all this made recruitment and retention very hard. I felt it was important to reward those who made this commitment, and so for those who stayed longer than three years, we made the effort to give them better titles and a little bit more pay. Through this system, we built a very strong team. They are committed, willing to do everything, and you need that in community health care. I can count on them, and that’s been so great.

Could you talk about how women’s health services came about?

In 2002, we got generous support from Charles B. Wang, and we were able to have a new building. At that time, we only provided about one and half days of women’s health care. We had an OB/GYN come in from another hospital, and so it was just very limited. I really wanted to change that. So I asked the medical director if I could develop our women’s health services. He said, “yes, but you know there is nothing right now.” And I said, “yes, but we can make something.”

Fortunately, one of our head nurses had gone to school to become a mid-wife. When she was finished, she agreed to stay, so I had my first full-time provider! Eventually we hired our own OB/GYN, and then an attendant. We focused on building the practice, and fundraised for our women’s health services. We grew so much that we went from one floor to 2 floors in the building and we are now open 7 days a week. We offer comprehensive care, which I’m very proud of. We have OB/GYN services, family planning, and cancer screening. In family planning, we also address STDs and domestic violence. Now we have something!

I also didn’t want to just talk about illness. I wanted to talk about wellness and empowerment. We have a Women’s Health Day three times a year, and this is where we really focus on invoking that feeling of wellness and women’s positive self-image. In fact, it’s really grown in to more of a Family Day, because so many people of all ages are involved. We still see patients on those days, but we also have a raffle, workshops, screenings for osteoporosis, as well as fun things like makeovers and fashion lessons so that women learn simple and inexpensive ways to change their image and just feel good about themselves. We have children performing and seniors volunteering, so the community is gathering and learning, and doing all this for women. We still have a long way to go, but there is no limit with the team I have.

Do you have a typical day or week?

Well, I see patients on Saturday for breast and cervical cancer screening, and I also see patients on Tuesday. I spend about 14 hours a week with patients and the rest is on administrative matters. Sometimes I don’t go to my desk for two days, especially because we are on two different floors. The needs of the community are growing too. Women have asked for more screening, and asked for it on Sundays. We usually do one Sunday a month with mobile screening, but they want it every Sunday. It’s hard to find resources, and who wants to work on Sunday? So sometimes I do it.

Our biggest challenge was to create comprehensive checkups for children. Private pediatricians are usually too expensive, so I thought, maybe I should go back to providing care. So I went back to school to become a family nurse practitioner so I can serve the children. I’m very lucky that the Center is so open and receptive to new ideas. That’s why I’m still here!

What is the best part about working in the health care field?

It’s very rewarding. It’s so rewarding to provide comprehensive health care. Especially when we help women and it grows to become help for the whole family. I started seeing male patients because when I see the women and we talk about being ready to have kids, I tell them it would be great to see their partners, so we can make sure both parents are healthy. Often they are reluctant, but I promise confidentiality. I’ve already seen about 100 men this year, who were all referred by their partner. It’s great because we know both of them are treated and so the whole family will be healthy.

Also, I like to tell everybody about my dream. I tell my board members, everyone I see, so I would like to tell you, too. One day I would love to have a fully comprehensive women’s health center, like the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in Harlem. They focus on the medically-underserved with a patient navigation system that goes above and beyond, basically providing you with a social worker throughout the whole screening, care, and treatment process. They have a whole floor dedicated to breast cancer screening and also offer things like free colonoscopy– it is amazing. And it looks beautiful too, you know, because of the Ralph Lauren designers! It is an incredible, state-of-the-art community health center. 

Wouldn’t it be great to have a philanthropist do that for our community? I would also like to that dream center to have services that help women develop skills as well, that would give them confidence and make them feel good about themselves. Computer skills, for example, would be great. I would say 90% of the women we see don’t know how to use email. If we could teach them about email, just think how it would promote more communication between them and their children. I tell everyone, if you know any philanthropist, please let me know!

What do you hope for when it comes to the health and wellness of your daughters? 

My daughters are ages 26, 22, and 20, and I am always trying to get them home (laughs). In fact, my 22 year-old bought me a dog to keep me busy and as she says “to keep me from going senile.”

What I hope for them is have a well-balanced life. I never wanted them to just focus on school. I wanted them to enjoy sports and music and other activities. Sports, I think, help you to be a strong person. I also feel that sportsmanship provides a lot of valuable lessons. You have to learn to follow rules and regulations, and you have to believe in teamwork and your teammates. You can’t just do things for yourself – you have to work as a team. My daughters still love playing volleyball, handball, and basketball. 

Sometimes it seemed like there wasn’t enough time for them to do everything, but I told them that if you want to do something badly enough, you will find the time. So they learned to manage their time in order to do well in school, and still play the sports they loved. 

I also want them to feel empowered to make decisions at the right time. I feel like my daughters are very strong. Yet, again, with having a balanced life, it’s not good to be strong all the time. You have to also be empowered enough to let someone else help you, and let others do things for you. This is important in relationships, and throughout life.

Just for fun, what do you love about New York and what is your favorite meal?

I love the cultural diversity of New York. There’s no place like it. You can see it best with all the festivals and events. When it’s St. Patrick’s Day, we’re there – celebrating even though we are not Irish, because we share the same spirit. Because Chinese and Koreans share the same New Year’s Day, we decorate the clinic for both cultures and celebrate together. And at the breast cancer walk, everyone carries the same message. We are there, beating Chinese drums, going “dong, dong” [laughs], but no one will ever make fun of you. I’ve taken my children every year, so they have been involved since they were young. Even now if they might not want to or can’t make the walk, they still know it’s important to contribute in some way.

As for a meal, I love sushi buffet! It may not be the best sushi, but I think it’s good and fun, too. I also like won ton noodle soup in Queens. There’s a restaurant that makes very traditional Chinese meals, and I love it.

What advice would you like to give young Asian Americans?

I would ask them to be involved, and see what part they can play. If you just sit back and observe, and just watch people go by, you won’t make a difference. It’s important to set a high goal for yourself; in fact to set a goal to be a role model for others. Even if you are not a leader, you will still be going in the right direction.

For more information about the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, please visit their website at www.cbwchc.org.