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UKIAH, CA — MCHC Health Centers is proud to expand its team of primary care providers. In June, MCHC welcomed physician assistant Melitza Mejia-Centeno to its Family Medicine team. Mejia-Centeno will see patients of all ages at Hillside Health Center in Ukiah. She is fluent in Spanish and English.
Both Mejia-Centeno and her husband, Gustavo Carrillo, also a physician assistant, moved from Utah to join the MCHC medical staff this month. Carrillo will be primarily based at Dora Street Health Center in Ukiah.
MCHC Chief Medical Officer Justin Ebert, PA-C, says, “Please join us in welcoming Melitza Mejia-Centeno and Gustavo Carrillo to the MCHC care teams. Both are bilingual, bicultural physician assistants whose values are strongly aligned with MCHC’s mission to drive compassionate, high-value care to everyone in our communities. Their experience, dedication, and patient centered care is already making a difference in the lives of our patients.”
Throughout her career, Mejia-Centeno has focused on serving underserved communities. She believes in the mission of Federally Qualified Health Centers like MCHC: providing high-quality healthcare to all who seek it, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
This perspective was shaped by a childhood in inner-city Los Angeles, where getting adequate care for her asthma was a challenge.
“I grew up in a working-class family. For my mom to take me to an appointment, it was a whole-day ordeal,” she recalls. “No school for me, she had to miss a whole day of work, we had to wait in a queue outside the clinic, then inside the clinic, find somewhere to eat in the area…”
“As I grew up, I learned that that’s what an underserved community looks like,” she explains. Limited care options meant longer waiting times, transportation challenges, and life disruptions. As a medical provider, she knew those were the kinds of communities she wanted to serve.
She and Carrillo met while pursuing associate’s degrees at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University before earning a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of Utah. The program’s mission is to prepare primary care providers to provide healthcare for underserved populations.
While she enjoys caring for a wide variety of patients, she has a particular affinity for women’s health. Previously, she was the go-to provider for those seeking women’s health services because she was the only female provider in her clinic. “I enjoy making women feel comfortable, because that’s not always their experience when it comes to sensitive physical exams,” she says.
With all her patients, Mejia-Centeno prioritizes building relationships and connections. “Acknowledgements are a big thing in our culture,” she says of Hispanic people, noting that saying good morning or good afternoon can go a long way. She also shares her own experiences, when appropriate, to build trust and connection. “We have so much more in common than we don’t,” she says. “I try to ask about the patient’s background and share some about mine, if I’m asked.”
“And I’ll ask questions like, ‘Where are the good tacos?’—things that make it clear that I’m being human with other humans,” she says. She strives to be both a trusted healthcare provider and a relatable person with whom her patients can connect.
When she and her family were looking to move, they sought a rural healthcare center in a state that prioritized public health. MCHC quickly became their top choice. They appreciate the region’s natural beauty, the proximity to larger cities, and the vibrant Hispanic community. They also appreciate that their boys, ages 3 and 6, can apply to attend a dual-immersion school.
Outside of work, Mejia-Centeno enjoys reading, food, hiking, paddleboarding, roller skating, and spending time outdoors with her family, including their two Rottweilers. They are looking forward to getting settled and exploring more of Northern California. “I’m itching to get to the coast,” she says.
MCHC Health Centers includes Hillside Health Center and Dora Street Health Center in Ukiah, Little Lake Health Center in Willits, and Lakeview Health Center in Lakeport. It is a community-based and patient-directed organization that provides comprehensive primary healthcare services as well as supportive services such as education and translation that promote access to healthcare.