OAKLAND, CA — September 19, 2025 — (NOTICIAS NEWSWIRE) — Sambo Ly, Alameda Health System’s (AHS’) manager of interpreter services, has won the Icon Award from Bay Area news station KPIX in recognition of her decades of service to refugees and community members in Alameda County.
The Icon Award highlights people who have made a significant and impactful contribution to their community. KPIX reporter Sharon Chin spoke with Ly about her childhood in Cambodia, how she survived the Khmer Rouge genocide, and her current work serving safety-net patients at Alameda Health System. Watch the story here.
Ly leads AHS’ interpreter services department, which receives about 2,000 interpreter requests every day, in 100 different languages, from AHS patients who need help communicating with their health care providers. Alameda County is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse counties in the United States, and many AHS patients arrive with limited ability to communicate in English.
AHS’ department of interpreter services provides in-house interpretation in 10 languages, either in person or remotely, and offers access to on-demand, remote interpreters of up to 300 languages. The department continues to innovate, recently introducing iPads that allow patients to have clearer conversations with their providers.
“Language access is a cornerstone of our mission of caring, healing, teaching, and serving all,” said AHS CEO James Jackson. “Sambo’s leadership and compassion ensure that no patient is left behind because of a language barrier. Her story reflects the resilience of our community and the values that guide us every day at AHS. We are incredibly proud of her and the entire interpreter services team for making care more equitable for everyone we serve.”
Ly’s dedication to service is informed by her personal story of immense suffering and resilience.
Ly and her brother were sent to a forced labor camp as children. One day, her brother asked her to mend his pants, and then he disappeared. She never saw him again.
Ly became sick with malaria and went to a hospital where she saw ill people swarmed with flies.
“I was determined to walk out of my deathbed and refused to die,” she said.
This experience inspired her interest in pursuing a career in health care. Refugee workers helped Ly and her family leave Cambodia. They made their way to the United States, where Ly got a job at AHS and dedicated her life to helping fellow refugees, immigrants, and underserved communities.
Ly’s dedication to helping her community extends beyond her role at AHS. She organizes weekly dance classes at her home so girls can learn traditional Cambodian dance. She has helped thousands of people fill out citizenship paperwork, and drives Buddhist elders and monks to temples across California. She is the Board Chair of Peralta Hacienda Park, and has organized the annual Cambodian New Year for 15 years, which is the largest Cambodian event in the Bay Area.
Ly said she was humbled to find out she’d been nominated and selected as a winner of KPIX’s Icon Award.
“I know from my own experience that having a language barrier is an invisible disability. Once I had the opportunity to work at Alameda Health System, I saw an opportunity to give back to my community,” Ly said. “I’m honored that this work is being recognized by KPIX, and I want to recognize my dedicated coworkers in the interpreter services department who provide compassionate language assistance to our patients and make a difference in their lives every day.”