Rachael Gathoni

My journey began in Kenya, where I worked as a journalist and served as a voice for the people, sharing what was happening in the community. When I immigrated to the U.S., I wanted to find something that still connected me to community and service, giving people a place to express themselves. I studied psychology and transitioned into healthcare services, building my career across multiple areas including developmental disability services, refugee work, home health, and hospice care. I've also volunteered extensively and served as an interpreter for my indigenous languages from Kenya - Swahili, Meru, and Kikuyu. For the past 14 years, I've been working in this field, and today I serve as a care coordinator where I bridge the gap between managed care, Medicare, and Medicaid. I work with clients who have multiple chronic diseases, helping them access the free services their insurance already covers, ensuring they keep up with their appointments and avoid unnecessary hospital readmissions and emergency room visits. I do checks and balances to make sure clients are served the right way and receive everything they should have, while documenting so the government can see where federal dollars are going. I focus particularly on hypertension and diabetes care. Beyond my direct care coordination work, I'm a passionate advocate for community health workers in Washington state, working on licensing and support systems for this workforce. I also serve on advisory committees, including the FGM Advisory Committee for the state, where I advocate for women who have experienced female genital mutilation, and the Department of Health Community Health Workers Advisory Committee. What I'm most proud of is being a multifaceted vessel in this work - I'm flexible and do multiple things, but the most rewarding part is using my indigenous languages to bridge barriers for clients from my country, interpreting for their caregiving exams, medical care in hospitals, case management, and services at DSHS and the Social Security Office. I also help educate people in the language they best understand about what the government is offering them, especially during times of uncertainty about immigration status, helping them know they are still cared for, loved, and belong.