Kimi Tahara supports the management of the agency’s core functions in finance, administration, communications, and capacity development. One of the main goals is to expand the public health workforce and integrate into health care operations for diverse, historically forgotten about communities. Kimi supports the agency by co-developing and implementing culturally affirming business strategies and programs to drive national and local systems transformation particularly between the education, public health, physical health, and mental health sectors.
Prior to joining the Safe Passages team, Kimi supported county-wide capacity development and Managed Care transformation efforts within Alameda County Health Care Services Agency for the Medi-Cal 1115 Demonstration of the Whole Person Care initiative. Kimi has extensive experience both as a frontline provider and as a health care administrator having also worked at Highland Hospital by co-developing and managing a volunteer-powered community linkage help desk that supports consumers across the lifespan.
She has been a key driver in pioneering the way for bridging the gap between the academic, technological, social, medical, and legal sectors. Through her experience of both direct service practice and healthcare administration, Kimi has created a pipeline for educational and career trajectories for our future workforce of medical, social, and legal providers through human capital investment. She is the recipient of the 2016 California Hospital Association’s Ritz E. Heerman Memorial Award and is featured in the American Hospital Association’s 2016 publication “Engaging Health Care Volunteers to Pursue the Triple Aim” as a key contributor to the Triple Aim framework. Kimi received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.