Our Interview With Cleo Manago, CEO, Pride Center of Maryland

Cleo Manago is the CEO of Pride Center of Maryland.

What makes the work at the Pride Center of Maryland unique in advancing LGBTQ health and equity?

First, to properly answer the question we have to broaden that alphabet list to be more inclusive of different ways to identify our community. This helps us attract as many people as possible who need the services.This means that Same Gender Loving (SGL) should be added to that list. It should be actively or critically considered because one of the problems or the blind spots in society whether on purpose or inadvertently is that we think that traditional academic systems and educational systems are simple places of education, but they are really hegemonic systems. These systems do not train us to be culturally, considerate or culturally nuanced.The Pride Center continues to be culturally nuanced. It's actively considerate of the cultures' experiences, the rhythms, the concerns, life experience and the history of people, particularly the majority population of Baltimore, which is African-Americans. Though we intently include people on our team from all walks of life because we serve all walks of life, we have a special capacity to do what I call Intra community cultural competency and deep, cultural competency. Intra community cultural competency is that we look at the differences within the community that sometimes create fiction based on misunderstanding and that's what ICC is and deep cultural competency is based on teaching people outside of different communities howto understand those communities in orde to reduce harm, reduce alienation, and increase access to services.

What lessons or qualities should future doctors and healthcare leaders develop if they want to provide more inclusive care?

Well, doctors and other healthcare workers should do what they do in response to resolving healthcare disparity. We have long standing healthcare disparities and are economically struggling as well as African-American communities of heart disease, STI, growing mental health problem, cardiovascular care problem.I hope that the doctors are forward thinking to resolve those issues so that they can become non issues. When you go to places like Portugal or other European countriesand even parts of Africa these are not issues. They've already embedded in their way of doing life and culture risk reduction and health education ideas so people can be healthy as they grow up. I think doctors should take that approach.

Inspira Advantage is proud to interview experts like Cleo Manago to help pre-med students understand the importance of culturally responsive care and inclusive support for diverse communities.