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Spotlight: Fernando Gomez-Benitez, Deputy Director

It’s hard not to notice the palpable enthusiasm that Fernando Gomez-Benitez exudes as he interacts with staff and frankly, just anyone. To say he’s one of Mission Neighborhood Health Center’s biggest fans would be an understatement. Add to that his humility and you’ve got a special personality.

Fernando, MNHC’s Deputy Director and Chief Administrative Officer, came from humble beginnings. Born in Stockton, California to Mexican immigrants, both his father and grandfather were farm workers and his mother worked in a packing plant after being a stay-at-home parent.

At age 13, he moved to a small town outside of Acapulco called Coyuca de Benitez, founded by his ancestors. After enduring the culture shock of living in such a small town for many years, he moved to Mexico City where he got his degree in Economics from the National Polytechnic Institute. Upon graduation he embarked on a teaching career as a high school teacher and subsequently the principal of the school. During that time, he also served as an economic advisor to the local legislative assembly of Mexico City.

Life got a bit hectic in Mexico City and slower times beckoned once again so Fernando moved back to Stockton. It was there that he found his calling in the health care sector starting out as a community HIV prevention health educator in a local federally qualified health center. His initial interest in MNHC was in the early 90’s when he applied to be an HIV testing counselor and failed to get the job. But in 1992, after coordinating a Community HIV Prevention Health Education Workshop with Latino immigrants in Stockton, he met the first MNHC-Clinica Esperanza Social Worker who was a guest speaker. She recognized his expertise, and no doubt his enthusiasm, and recommended he apply to be a health educator at Clinica Esperanza at MNHC’s Shotwell site. This time he got the job.

Service to the community was and continues to be a driving force for Fernando. The list of organizations he has served is long, spurred in part by the passing of Prop 187 in California in 1994, under the aegis of then Governor Pete Wilson. Prop 187 created a state-run citizenship screening system to prohibit immigrants who lacked proper immigration documentation from using non-emergency healthcare, public education and other services in California. Fernando noticed the devastating impact of this proposition and got to work on what would ultimately become his life’s legacy of serving others.

After his health educator position, Fernando took on roles as a community organizer in San Francisco with The Latino Civil Rights Network and the Mission Housing Development Corporation, prior to becoming MNHC’s Director of HIV Services from 2001-2008,
“It was through this work that I connected the dots and realized how much housing and social determinants are interdependent and affect one’s health,” said Fernando. Once he returned to MNHC to serve as the HIV Services Director, he was able to integrate this understanding in his work with others to create an integrated Mission Center of Excellence – a model for HIV services in San Francisco.

In 2008, Brenda Storey, MNHC executive director, tapped Fernando to become the deputy director and chief administrative officer of MNHC where he has continued to display his talents enthusiastically, as, in his own words, a “jack of all trades.”

As deputy director, Fernando is the custodian of the major grant that funds MNHC – the Section 330 grant designating MNHC as a Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC). He is also the board- approved compliance officer ensuring that all MNHC sites comply with the regulations of the FQHC grant. Additionally, he oversees the directors of two large programs, HIV Services and the Mission Neighborhood Resource Center.

Filling his “need to keep busy or I’ll get bored” mentality, Fernando, also serves in committees and collaborates with both the San Francisco Latino Parity and Equity Coalition and the Health Equity Coalition, an Excelsior community collaborative. Additionally, he serves as a board member of the Mission Housing Development Corporation, most recently as secretary of the board; and is an advisor to UCSF ASPIRE, a program designed to determine the best ways to make research meaningful to community groups.

“I feel lucky I get to go to work with an excellent group of talented colleagues both within and outside MNHC who are committed to improving the well-being of our community,” said Fernando. “I truly feel that as a community organization we serve the most vulnerable segment of people. We’re entrusted with keeping the doors open so we can continue to serve those in need.”

After jam packed days helping others, Fernando likes to relax by caring for 3 kitties, watching sci-fi movies from the 50’s and 60’s and TCM classics with Betty Davis and Joan Crawford and taking short trips in the bay area with his longtime partner.

“We don’t know how much time we will be on this earth, so it seems to me that contributing to the common good is the most important thing to do…and perhaps a sci-fi movie here and there,” he says with a wink.

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