Maria joined North Sound ACH in April 2022 as a Project Coordinator on our Emergency Response Team/North Sound Listens. She is a homeopathic health & wellness coach, has been a paralegal, and has worked on Diversity and Inclusion projects. She has a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and is currently in the Master’s of Social Work (MSW) program at Eastern Washington University.

As a member of ACES Connection in Sacramento, CA, she learned that the CDC was finally recognizing that her Puerto Rican family’s racial/ethnicity and poverty were social determinants of health that can negatively impact adult mental health outcomes. It was life changing. To prevent toxic stress from taking over her life, Maria moved to Washington at the beginning of the pandemic and resolved to work at agencies that are making a difference in improving equity in healthcare. Maria is excited to begin her work at North Sound ACH providing disaster victims with resources that will help them access the care they need to rebuild their lives.