"This has been long overdue in my community. And I'm so excited about being able to be a part of it."

This is the story of Teresa and her life as a community health worker with Babylon.

Social workers, health workers, volunteers. These people form the backbone of our communities. They’re unsung heroes, often going above and beyond to make sure that their community is well-represented and taken care of. More than anyone else, they understand the needs of families, children, and other workers. This is the story of a woman who plays many roles in her community. She’s a mother, a head teacher, and a community health worker who uses her empathy and experience to give her community the support it deserves.

“When I'm not working, I’m going to ball games to actually be a support to some of the young people that do not have parents.”

Teresa is from Pinellas County in the state of Missouri. She lives with her husband Frank. They’ve been married for 22 years. Theresa is a proud community health worker at Babylon. In her downtime, she’s either spending quality time with Frank or she’s out supporting her local community. “When I'm not working, I’m going to ball games to actually be a support to some of the young people that do not have parents. I get to actually work with some of the same young people that I taught when I was a head teacher.”

“...I was going through this ordeal and didn’t have the proper support and resources.”

As a community health worker, Teresa helps patients by giving them the right healthcare information and resources. It’s something that’s close to Teresa’s heart. “My son was born with epilepsy. As a teen and single mom at the time, I was going through this ordeal and didn’t have the proper support and resources. Which, as a result, caused me to not have a 9 to 5 job. As I had to take care and support my family.” Despite Teresa’s challenges, she decided to volunteer at her son’s school, so she could be there to support him. Eventually, a teaching position opened up. She applied for the role and very quickly landed the job.

“I can look back and I can lift somebody else up.”

For 11 years, Teresa taught at her son’s school. She became a key figure in the lives of many of the children there. Today, through her work with Babylon, she still sees her ex-pupils, who are now all adults. “Those are some of the same people that I work with now. Some are even adults who have children of their own that I help assist with today.” Not only does Babylon reconnect Teresa with her community, the service also allows her to make a real impact on people’s lives. “I am so glad that I am a part of Babylon because through my work, I am able to be in my community, the community that I grew up in. The community that helped cultivate me and raised me into the person that I have become. I can look back and I can lift somebody else up, and I can grab their hand and help pull them into a place where they're going to be able to blossom as well as I did. So that brings so much joy to me.”

“I want to be that person who they can depend on…”

Teresa also loves that she can give her community healthcare resources that they didn’t know they had access to. “I want to be that person who they can depend on and who will come by to check on them and give them information and resources.” Teresa says she gets a lot of fulfillment from her work. Especially when she explains how Babylon works and how it can improve their lives for the better. “I explain how it works and I see them light up and they say to me, ‘Can I really just go on my phone and make an appointment and talk to a physician?’. That has brought so much joy to me. To be able to tell them, ‘Yes, you can literally open up your phone and schedule an appointment for yourself or your children.’

“This has been something that has been long overdue in my community…”

While Babylon has many benefits, Teresa believes that the company's mission of providing accessible, affordable healthcare for all, inspired her to become a community health worker. “I really truly believe the reason why I'm here as a Babylonian is to get information and give everyone the resources they need and are able to access. This has been something that has been long overdue in my community, and I am so excited about being able to be a part of it.