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UKIAH, CA — MCHC Health Centers welcomed physician assistant Gustavo Carrillo to its Family Medicine team in June, continuing to expand access to primary care in Mendocino County. Carrillo, who is fluent in Spanish and English, will see patients of all ages at Dora Street Health Center in Ukiah.
Carrillo and his wife, Melitza Mejia-Centeno, also a physician assistant, moved from Utah to join the MCHC medical staff this summer. Mejia-Centeno will be based at Hillside Health Center in Ukiah. They chose Ukiah because it gives them the opportunity to practice rural medicine in a state that prioritizes community health. They also appreciate the area’s large Hispanic community.
MCHC Chief Medical Officer Justin Ebert, PA-C, says, “Please join us in welcoming Gustavo Carrillo and Melitza Mejia-Centeno 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.”
Earlier in his career, Carrillo worked as an X-ray technician in outpatient urgent care for nearly a decade. That’s where he learned to interact with patients and providers in a collaborative, teamwork-based environment. Through that experience, he realized he wanted to become a medical provider.
His long-term goal has been to provide care for Spanish-speaking patients. “There were a lot of language barriers in the clinic where I was,” he says. “Their care wasn’t optimal.”
He attended Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona, where he met his wife, a fellow student. He later earned a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of Utah.
Before joining MCHC, he worked as a physician assistant in family medicine at a community health center in Salt Lake City, as well as in urgent care at multiple University of Utah sites.
He appreciates MCHC’s commitment to serving all people regardless of economic status or health insurance. “MCHC serves all people, anybody in need. I want to help anybody I can, even if it’s just a little,” he says.
Carrillo moved frequently in his youth, spending most of his childhood in Phoenix, Arizona. He credits those moves with his ability to connect well with many different people. He believes that trust begins with simple human connection.
“When I come into a room, I greet the patient and everybody else in the room. I ask for each person’s name and make sure to acknowledge everyone present,” he says. “I like to connect with patients at their eye level.” In his experience, beginning appointments by connecting with each other creates a sense of trust and leads to better health outcomes.
“Starting that way, with conversation, builds comfort. And I think that getting comfortable early in the visit allows patients to bring up their concerns.”
In addition to family medicine, Carrillo enjoys working in urgent care and intends to pursue further training in both psychiatric care and addiction medicine. “Those are areas I would like to learn and grow in,” he says.
Outside of work, Carrillo enjoys spending time with his wife, their two sons, and two Rottweilers. He enjoys hiking, exploring national parks, exercising, and riding motorcycles.
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.