Helping Patients Feel Heard: Meet Andy Kimmelmann

Andy Kimmelmann’s love of languages brought him to medical interpreting, and his faith gives the work personal meaning. Meet the man helping patients communicate with their providers and welcoming volunteers who are eager to serve at Neighborhood Christian Clinic.

When you’re concerned about your health, you want to be able to explain what is happening and know you’ve been understood. Your support of the Neighborhood Christian Clinic helps make those conversations possible for patients who speak a different language than their provider.

Andy Kimmelmann is one of the people helping those conversations happen. As the Clinic’s Interpreting Services Supervisor and Volunteer Supervisor, he helps patients communicate with their providers and welcomes volunteers who are eager to serve. His love of languages brought him to this work, and his faith gives it personal meaning.

A New Chapter, a Welcoming Beginning

Andy was looking for a new direction in his professional life when his interest in languages led him to medical interpreting. He completed the required training and became a Certified Medical Interpreter in Spanish, earning his CMI-Spanish certification.

While looking for a position, he discovered a job opening at the Neighborhood Christian Clinic in Phoenix. The opportunity to work in a Christian setting drew his attention, and the welcome he received helped him feel ready for this new chapter.

“From the first interview on, everybody was very welcoming and I was thrilled to start here,” Andy recalls. He had found a place where he could use his skills in work that reflected his faith.

Making Room for the Whole Conversation

For Andy, interpreting is an opportunity to overcome the language barriers between a patient and a medical provider. What he especially appreciates is being able to help patients express themselves in the language they know best.

“I love that patients can feel understood and can express themselves in their own language,” he says. He also enjoys the learning that comes with the work, including discovering an unfamiliar expression or another way to communicate something clearly.

Some of the conversations Andy interprets include prayer. When a provider prays with a patient, he can interpret those words, too, helping make spiritual care accessible across a language barrier.

That connection between physical and spiritual care is something Andy loves about the Clinic. Your generosity helps make Whole Person Care possible, giving patients a place to receive medical attention where their spiritual concerns are welcome, too.

Welcoming Volunteers Who Are Ready to Serve

Andy also supports the people who give their time to care for the Clinic’s patients. As Volunteer Supervisor, he helps new volunteers through onboarding and orientation, and he manages the volunteer schedule.

His days shift between interpreting and supporting volunteers, depending on what is needed. He especially enjoys working with people who are enthusiastic about beginning their roles and contributing to the work of the Clinic.

“I love working with motivated volunteers who are thrilled to start in their role,” Andy says. Helping them get started is another way he takes part in caring for the patients they will serve.

Faith That Finds Expression in Service

Andy’s faith shapes how he sees his work. Among the Bible passages he returns to is Ephesians 2:8–10, with its reminder of God’s grace and the good works God has prepared for us to do.

For Andy, remembering what Jesus has done for us is a motivation to love others. His work at the Clinic gives him a meaningful opportunity to put that love into practice.

Outside of work, Andy enjoys spending time with his wife and reading the Bible. Church is part of his life, as are working out and hiking when the weather is not too hot.

“It feels very rewarding to do meaningful work and have a part in helping people,” he says. Through both interpreting and supporting volunteers, Andy has found a place to do exactly that.

Your generosity helps sustain a place where people like Andy can use their gifts to serve others. Thank you for helping patients receive Whole Person Care where they can speak in their own language and know that someone is listening.