Personal
I was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. I speak multiple languages including my
“mother tongue”- Luo ( as a point of reference, this is the same tribe as Obama’s
dad), Kiswahili (or Swahili as many call it), and English as my third language. As I grew
up we moved around a lot, but settled down for a large part of my life in the Kibera
slums, which is one of the largest in Africa. Throughout the years I attended
highschool and a little after, I engaged with our local church (Good Shepherd AGC) in
community work feeding the homeless, volunteering in local orphanages and doing
mission work around Kenya and the surrounding countries, including Rwanda. I
moved to Oregon in 2003 and have been here since then.
I have always strived to care for those who are vulnerable and forgotten. Since my
days working in local mission work in Africa, my passion for service led me to finding
a field that I could do even more, which is how I ended up becoming a nurse. As a
nurse, I have strived for people that I have taken care of to receive the best care
possible, always advocating and ensuring the voices of the vulnerable are heard. In
my time in Corrections Health, I have worked tirelessly with the rest of the leadership
to create and indeed, succeeded in changing the hiring process for nurses that also
led to the creation of the RN fellowship; a program that is geared towards getting
nurses of color a better opportunity to get a career in nursing in a field that is crying
out for it within the legal system. With the disproportionate amount of BIPOC people
in the legal system, it is critical to have staff that is reflective of that population and
indeed, the community overall, which is something I continue to strive towards
everyday. As a black leader, equity and advocacy have and will always be an integral
part of the work I do.
Initiatives Created
- During my time as Director of Health Services for McLoughlin Place Assisted
Living and Memory Care, I initiated recruitment, retention and training
processes for nursing and other staff which resulted in the most stable staffing
the facility had seen. I created workflows and started education programs for
families dealing with dementia and memory loss in their loved ones. I later
became the main trainer as Regional Trainer for all Health Service Directors for
the west coast region and Idaho for the parent company. I continue to consult
and offer training to long term care facilities and also help families navigate
the difficult transition when their loved ones move into care facilities and to
help them to understand what they are seeing from their loved ones. - In my time as a DON (Director of Nursing) for Prestige, I implemented
workflows and changes that prepared our facility and staff for state and
federal surveys, including managing complex insurance issues for patients. I
was later assigned to train nurse managers regionally and facilitate facility
readiness and preparedness for survey, with much success. - In my time as a PM2 (Program Manager 2) in Corrections Health, I
implemented a better tracking and monitoring system for our clients who
require the most assistance from a medical and mental health perspective by
creating a Google doc system that allowed better information sharing and
promoted continuity of care. - I worked with county leadership to advocate for increased diversity in the
nursing pool, and thereby created an RN fellowship program that would allow
for ADNs to have the same opportunity to work in the Corrections Health
setting as those who attend four-year schools. - Recruiting efforts have been a point of focus for me including meeting with all
the area colleges and universities’ nursing programs to detail what work
within Corrections Health looks like. We have seen an increase in demand
from the schools for clinical placements as students can now see working as a
community health nurse within Corrections Health as a destination choice of
career. - Over a two-plus-year period, did a lot of research on MAT (medication assisted
treatment), now MSR (medication supported recovery), including visiting
other facilities throughout the country, networking with a local SUD
(substance use disorder) taskforce to initiate the program within Corrections
Health that allowed for the induction and maintenance of clients on
Buprenorphine and also have a system that allowed them an opportunity to
to not return to using by ensuring they are set up with outside agencies for
treatment and follow up. - Worked with PPB (Portland Police Bureau) and OSHU ED to create a better
monitoring system for clients that came in with reported ingestion of drug
“baggies,” which entailed a 6 hour watch period in a delegated area in the
OHSU ER, thus reducing the strain on nursing and MCSO, while ensuring
patient safety in a place where issues can be addressed quickly and efficiently
should the need arise. - Created skills and protocols checklists that allow nursing leadership to
determine specific training needs for nursing staff throughout Corrections
Health. - I also was Head Boys Soccer Coach at Oregon City high school for 10 years.
During this time, I was able to change the program to be leading contenders
in our division each year. The greatest highlight of my time coaching was
seeing all my students graduating with a minimum of C average grades (with
most far exceeding that including multiple valedictorians) and seeing them
succeed in college and now as adults in the community with great jobs, giving
back to the community because of the values instilled in them while on the
team.
Leadership
- Effectively partnered with other county divisions and leadership to address
emergent issues facing Corrections Health, including the COVID-19 pandemic
outbreaks across all three CH sites. Worked closely with the ICS (Integrated Clinical
Services) lab, public health officer and epidemiologists, and OHA (Oregon
Health Authority) to manage each respective outbreak. Additionally, when
vaccinations became available, led Corrections Health efforts in ensuring
vaccines were available to a mostly BIPOC population in the jails and
providing culturally specific education all along. - Built strong relationships with other health department leadership, which has
led to better information sharing from a nursing perspective including having
the opportunity to train nurses and providers at East County Clinic on wound
care. - Worked with MCSO (Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office) leadership to create
and sustain a system of housing that allows those that identify as other, the
opportunity to be appropriately housed within the correctional system. - Worked with the Portland Police Chief to create a better relationship between
the nurses and officers in intake, including giving opportunities to nurses to
attend crash meetings and PPB briefings which have contributed to create
the best relationship PPB has had with Corrections Health. - Hired and created check in systems for nursing leadership to provide better
oversight and a more cohesive system throughout Corrections Health in
standardizing the care provided to clients. - Engaged in the county’s MOC (managers of color), including service in the
Northwest Public Employees Diversity Conference committee over the last two
years. - Created effective communication systems by setting up lead nurse check-ins
and email nursing report to ensure critical information is passed along from
shift to shift. - As a part of the employee resource group MOC (Managers of Color), pushed
for change at the county level to ensure hiring practices were fair and placed
emphasis on providing an equitable platform for all employees, including
BIPOC staff. - Took over leadership of the Corrections Health division as a part of succession
planning to ensure changes within the leadership structure set up the exempt
staff to succeed and thrive in the various roles. - Created and delivered a complex budget for the division of over $28 million
worth of general funds.