Immigrant and refugee moms in Texas get equal access to care

Walgreens donations to Vitamin Angels help expectant mothers and children gain access to life-changing vitamins and supplements. See how we’re committed to helping immigrant and refugee moms in Texas get equal access to care for healthier pregnancies.

[Marlen Trujillo] Our organization started 17 years ago a charity clinic. There was a high percentage of pregnant women walking into the ER with no prenatal care. They hadn't received any vitamins, no care, no exams, no labs, and they were just showing up at trimester three at the end of their pregnancy, ready to deliver.

Spring Branch Community Health Center helps immigrant and refugee mothers get equal access to prenatal vitamins.

A lot of our services are primarily focused on providing services to the uninsured, the undocumented, the newly arrived, newly immigrants, and we also have a high population of refugees that come to us, that need care.

7 million women of childbearing age live in counties with limited access to maternity care.

[Candy Espinoza] Those patients that may not have access to healthcare because they are in a different socioeconomic division, whether they're low income, whether there is a health language or health access barrier there, maybe they don't understand how to navigate the insurance/healthcare waters.

[Violet] We see a lot of patients that, while they would like to have more consistent care, there always seems to be a reason why they cannot achieve that - transportation, lack of insurance, lack of financial stability, basic needs. We also see a lot of parents

that put themselves second.

[Dominique] I came for my first appointment, I was already eight weeks, but I didn't know what to do. So they gave me the vitamins and how to take it.

Together, Walgreens and Vitamin Angels are ensuring moms in the US and abroad have an equal chance at a healthy future.

[Violet] Oh, Vitamin Angels, it's definitely a tool that we use to educate both our staff and our patients. And what I mean by that is, when I take the vitamins and I give them to the providers, it's like, this is your tool to talk about how important nutrition is, how important it is to take care of mom while you're pregnant, how important it is to keep the body healthy.

[Darlyn] Well, from the beginning when I came for a consultation and found out I was pregnant, they gave me prenatals. Since it was my first pregnancy, I suffered from anemia. With prenatals, I no longer have an iron deficiency, and have felt very good, truthfully.

[Violet] We also get the materials to help them, so we're able to give that out to the patients. It shows them that we care about them.

When you buy vitamin at Walgreens or make a cash donation, you help provide vitamins to mothers in need.

[Sinthia] I'm grateful for the people that support the clinic because if you support the clinic, you're supporting me, and that's something very beautiful.

(gentle upbeat music)