Team Member Spotlight: Erika Castro

Erika Castro, Payroll and Human Resources Assistant, joined SFCHC in 2018 as a dental receptionist and is deeply passionate about helping patients with financial hardships receive the care they need. She is responsible for performing all payroll activities, onboarding new employees, and taking and preparing minutes for meetings of the SFCHC Board of Directors and Finance Committee. She also helps organize these meetings on a monthly basis, and assists with other events and special projects as needed. 

Previously, Erika held the position of treatment coordinator for five years and interim dental clinic manager for six months at a large dental practice. During that time, she gained high-level experience interfacing with patients, collecting co-payments, verifying insurance benefits, organizing patient charts and schedules, and managing claims. She also has five years of experience working as legal coordinator and staffing the front desk at a professional document imaging company. 

From day one at the SFCHC Dental Department, Erika demonstrated a strong desire to learn, grow and apply the knowledge she acquired in a private office setting to a federally-qualified health center (FQHC). She felt drawn to work at a clinic where patients receive quality healthcare, regardless of their financial situation or difficult circumstances in life. 

“I am very grateful to SFCHC for the opportunity to experience working at a FQHC where our main focus is providing patient care at a low cost, or even free of charge, to those in need,” she said. “Serving someone who is experiencing financial hardship is definitely satisfying because I love to help those in need.” 

Erika was promoted to her current position in July 2022. She viewed the opportunity as a challenge and fulfillment of her career ambition to assume new duties and perform them well. She also enrolled in a college-level payroll accounting course to expand her knowledge in the field. Her hobbies include exercising, dancing, road trips and riding roller coasters with her son at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which is his favorite amusement park.