Sponsored Sponsored content How one Cleveland lesbian is connecting vulnerable communities to vital healthcare by being herself

The oldest sister in a big Puerto Rican family, Jennifer Castellano has been in “caretaker mode” for most of her life. When she was younger, that meant caring for her siblings and her ailing grandfather. 

Now that Castellano, 39, is an out lesbian adult, caring means connecting vulnerable communities to vital healthcare as community engagement coordinator for Neighborhood Family Practice. 

“I always looked after everyone in the house, and I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life,” said Castellano. 

Struggling to find space

Castellano was born in New York City, but soon after, her mom moved the family to Jamestown, New York, outside of Buffalo, for a slower pace of living. The move also meant that Castellano was one of very few people of color in the Jamestown school system.

“We certainly all knew each other, and there was a lot less Spanish being spoken in Jamestown,” laughed Castellano.

Growing up in a strict Pentecostal house with her grandparents – and making frequent trips to socially conservative Puerto Rico as her family was building a home there – Castellano struggled to find the space to explore her own identity, including her growing certainty that she was a lesbian. She was ultimately kicked out of her home when she was 17 (“I talked back a lot.”) and sent to live with a pastor uncle and aunt in Cleveland. 

Finding her way

Being legally emancipated as a minor gave her the freedom to make her life her own. After high school, she completed a medical assistant certification and ultimately earned an associates degree in health and human services. She spent several years working  for the Spanish American Committee, which “really showed me all the many ways nonprofits can change the world.” Then, in 2022, Castellano saw a job posting for a Hispanic community engagement coordinator” at NFP and applied.

She got the job. “It was all about building partnerships and creating relationships, and I knew it was for me,” she said.

Castellano quickly fell in love with her new role: assisting patients and staff in identifying appropriate community resources to improve access to care; preparing and presenting culturally appropriate educational programming; and generally advocating for policy initiatives that affect the overall health and well-being of the community.

But she also realized that although the goals of bridging the gap between vulnerable populations and healthcare were spot on, her title was not. To reflect her wider outreach, Castellano’s title was changed to “community engagement coordinator.”

“When we restrict these positions to a specific community, we’re not letting individuals be their whole selves,” she said. “Yes, you might be Hispanic, but you also might be LGBTQ+ and we want people to bring every part of themselves into this.”

“So much of this work is about supporting healthcare providers to build relationships and understand that when you’re taking care of someone, it’s like building a family,” she added. “And there’s so much trust that goes into it.” 

Building trust is everything

 Fear of how they will be treated by a healthcare provider can keep LGBTQ+ clients from showing up for a first appointment or even making the initial call to set up that appointment. 

To build trust with patients, Castellano is in constant motion, doing everything from setting up open houses at clinics – to familiarize patients with NFP’s staff and services in an informal setting that reduces fear –   to creating patient advisory committees to provide feedback and help NFP adjust services to meet clients’ needs.

“We are always asking ourselves, ‘How do we keep things consistent and how do we keep things relevant?’” she said.

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Although she would not describe herself as “super extroverted,” Castellano puts it all out there when it comes to her clients. . 

“Look, I call myself an old-school lesbian, from the Bounce days,” Castellano said, referring to the popular LGBTQ+ nightclub that closed in 2017. “I say it with my chest and know that when I’m bringing my whole self to Neighborhood Family Practice, I’m helping everyone else do the same.” 🔥

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• Learn more about Neighborhood Family Practice’s health and wellness services by visiting their website or giving NFP a call at (216) 281-0872.