Latino Business Speakers Bureau: Harvey Castro MD
story by: David Gomez
Dr. Harvey Castro has a powerful message, “You can become anything you want; you just have to work hard and put your heart into your work.” This message equipped Dr. Castro with the confidence that his hard work will pay off in the end. Dr. Castro is more than just a hard worker, he has an unwavering passion for helping others, and he possesses indefatigable creativity to solve seemingly impossible obstacles. From his humble beginnings in New York City, to founding and leading Trusted Medical Centers, Dr. Castro’s story is a reminder that personal goals and dreams are accessible to anyone who is willing to work hard for them.
From a very young age, Dr. Castro dreamed of becoming a medical doctor. He was raised in New York City by a single mother who dropped out of high school to care for her son. Although they had scarce resources, his mother bestowed values and faith with bursting prodigality. She inspired him to see his boundless potential and taught him that he could achieve anything he set his mind and heart on. As a young boy, he saw his mother prepare home remedies with spices commonly used in Latino households to treat a range of maladies. He noticed that healing brought a smile to the face of those who were being cared for. He understood that he wantedto do that for others, and he was convinced that becoming a doctor was possible. Not having the funds to pay for school was not an obstacle. Dr. Castro’s creativity to solve problems seems limitless and he figured how to pay for his college education. At the age of sixteen, he started his own vitamin and supplements company and paid for his education with his earnings. On one occasion, he realized he could not afford his test preparation textbooks for pre med and figured out a clever way to obtain the academic material he needed. Dr. Castro sent letters to the publisher and offered an unconventional barter. He offered to proofread their entire text in exchange that he would get to keep the textbook. This creative approach to obstacles is a reminder that ingenuity and hard work can surpass the limitations of an individual’s environment.
After med school, Dr. Castro faced a new challenge that would require him to clarify why he decided to be a doctor and would provide him a path for the rest of his career. When the administration team of an ER facility where he worked questioned the depth of care he provided his patients, Dr. Castro stood his ground and explained why his approach was best for his patients. The realization that some patients were not getting the best care they needed led him and his business partner (Lori Guerrero, RN, BSN) to open Trusted Medical Centers in Dallas, TX. The organization focuses on caring for patients and providing healing without the confounding elements that many patients experience in the traditional healthcare environment. In addition, Dr. Castro continues exploring ways to help others through innovative products and services that help patients live better lives. For example, because the onset of the COVID19 pandemic was plagued with misinformation, Dr. Castro began to provide his own medical reporting and contribute his expertise to media outlets. His goal was to educate the public so that people would make decisions based on facts not fear and at the same time take the necessary precautions to prevent unnecessary contractions of the virus.
Just as medicine is prescribed to restore a patient’s health and improve their quality of life, Dr. Castro’s story has a restorative message that can inspire others to dust off the dreams they shelved, pursue them, and live their lives to their full potential. His most recent book Success Reinvention(2020) draws reflections from his life story and provides principles that aim to help readers to reinvent themselves. In it, Dr. Castro shares his story with the same passion harnessed to care for his patients’ well-being. He sees an opportunity to heal people in other areas of their lives, not only their health. The heart of a true healer incessantly seeks ways to pivot hurt and damaged lives towards wellness and fulfilment. For Dr. Castro his journey as a healer is ongoing and there are still many trails he must blaze.