Team Rubicon helps vaccinate veterans, Navajo Nation

President and Chief Operating Officer of Team Rubicon Art delaCruz joined Yahoo Finance to discuss how Team Rubicon is helping fight the coronavirus.

Video transcript

- 35 minutes to the closing bell. We want to talk about what's going on with Team Rubicon. Art delaCruz is Team Rubicon President and chief operating officer. And he's joining us now for a couple of reasons. We're going to talk about fighting hate and helping people in need but also getting people who have not yet been vaccinated, the vaccines they need. And among them are the women and men who serve in the armed forces who keep us free. And there is hesitancy among veterans. So how is Team Rubicon addressing that?

ART DELACRUZ: Yeah. Well, thanks for having me. I think Team Rubicon is really trying to foster a discussion with our veteran population to build confidence. We all know, you know, there's misinformation, you know, this can travel. And the veterans who have served, I think, an obligation to them is to get them to the table, to have the conversation, to increase their confidence, and understand, you know, the benefit that they can have for themselves in the communities they're in by receiving the vaccine.

SEANA SMITH: And, Art, when you talk about the approaches that you've taken that have worked compared to those that haven't worked, I guess, what approach has been most successful so far?

ART DELACRUZ: Yeah. So far, I think, the most important aspect of it is, you know, number one is it's a call to action, which veterans are really familiar with. They've served the nation. And frankly, receiving the vaccine can be viewed as a vaccination. The other part is just having the conversation. You know, again, how do you communicate one on one? How do you answer the questions?

You know, we're partner with the Veterans Administration to do town halls where we can have these conversations. And it's not about telling them, it's about answering the questions they might have to increase their willingness and support of these vaccines.

- Art, I want to shift our discussion or at least broaden it to the fact that this is Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. And the military has always been that organization that brings everybody from everywhere into one room, you might say. I'm curious what was your experience when you serve.

ART DELACRUZ: You know, it's a really interesting journey of discovery. And I think one of the things I found, and I grew up in Minnesota. You know, I was a member of the community. I never really experienced discrimination. Went into the Navy, I had an incredible experience. Again, it's a melting pot of people from all over the country in different backgrounds and frankly, around the world. But what I did really realize is how important having people, you know, with diverse backgrounds, you know, and different ethnicities and positions of leadership.

And I really began to see that as I became more senior in particular as a commanding officer, where people across different units, you know, young kids, men and women, could look at me and say, this is in the realm of the possible. I have representation and I have an advocate.

SEANA SMITH: Are there specific steps do you think that the military could take in order just to create a more inclusive environment in order to attract people from more diverse backgrounds?

ART DELACRUZ: Yeah. I think there's a lot the military can do. And I think, you know, they're taking the steps towards it. I think number one is representation is really, you know, a very, very important component. As the demography of the country changes, you know, we have to make sure that representation is equal across the enlisted in officer ranks. And that's a long journey. It's a career, you know, for myself that lasted 22 years. That has to be a part of it.

I think the other part is you have to normalize the conversations. You have to be able to talk about these difficult topics, you know, across this diverse range of men and women who have joined the military to make sure that they understand that this commitment towards diversity, equity, and inclusion is so important for the success of the unit and the team.

- Art I want to point out to, your team told us that you or at least to Team Rubicon right now is involved with the vaccination efforts with the Navajo Nation, seems kind of poignant when you realize the important role, you know, Navajo deciphers and code writers played during World War II. Can you tell us about the efforts that you're underway right now with the Navajo?

ART DELACRUZ: Yeah. So we've actually been with the Navajo Nation for 260 days of operations. We started first with medical decompression. The hospital systems were overwhelmed here as COVID, you know, became rampant here. And then for the past 169 days, we've been involved with vaccine distribution support.

So how do we allow the doctors and nurses to ensure they can convert these vaccines into vaccinations? So we've had over 300 volunteers that have racked up 47,000 hours of service to this community, which again, as you mentioned, is highly veteran-centric. We are just at Window Rock yesterday, a tremendous monument to the dedication the Navajo Nation has had to this nation as putting on the cloth, you know, of service. So that's been absolutely incredible.

And frankly, they've been doing a fantastic job in leading the nation. That over 90% of the eligible population has received at least their first dose. So it's a true success story here in the Navajo Nation.

- Art delaCruz, Team Rubicon president and chief operating officer, thank you so much for being here today and all the best to you and the folks at Team Rubicon.