Giving
Holy Family Services
Holy
Family Birth Center, based in Weslaco, Texas, is a Catholic
free-standing birth center located ten miles from Mexico in the Rio
Grande Valley. Co-sponsored by four religious orders, its mission is:
"...to provide maternal and infant care within the context of the family. Services shall be rendered in a God-centered atmosphere of compassion. Every individual, as God's creation, has the right to safe, satisfying health care with respect for human dignity and cultural variations. The individual has the right to self-determination, to adequate information, and to achieve participation in all aspects of care."
Many families in the Rio Grande Valley lack access to health care; they do not have health insurance or Medicaid and cannot afford care. Others may be undocumented. Holy Family also serves patients who simply choose Holy Family over other providers.
It is a model birth center, the oldest one in Texas, and comprises a range of facilities: six birthing suites, a clinic, a classroom, a chapel, medical storage rooms, and housing for the many resident staff, volunteers, students and visitors.
Holy Family is staffed by certified nurse midwives and registered nurses.
Holy Family Services received the highest client satisfaction rating in a benchmark study completed with 33 other birth centers nationwide in 1999.
Angela Murdaugh, FSM, was one of the founders of Holy Family Services.