Esperanza Center Continues Mission of Caring for Maryland’s Uninsured Immigrants

Catholic Charities’ program provided free medical services to more than 2,000 people in 2016

17 May 17 12:00 AM CDT

Catholic Charities’ Esperanza Center Health Services provided medical and dental services to more than 2,000 individuals last year, according to recently-released data for 2016. Among the services offered are primary and preventive care, dental services for adults and children, ophthalmology and referrals to medical specialists.

The Esperanza Center’s health clinic serves immigrants in Maryland who are both uninsured and uninsurable, lacking access to any type of medical insurance.

The Esperanza Center is a member of the Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) Alliance, a national network of 91 clinics in 28 states providing free health care services to uninsured and under-insured individuals. VIM is a nationally-recognized model that utilizes volunteer physicians, dentists and other health providers to offer free medical care. Nationwide, VIM member clinics delivered health care to 95,000 individuals in more than 400,000 patient visits in 2016.

VIM clinics follow an established model that focuses on sustainability and promotes a “Culture of Caring” that recognizes and respects the dignity of those served.

Esperanza Center Health Services is the only VIM clinic in the State of Maryland, and the only health provider in Baltimore with the sole mission of providing free, bilingual care to uninsured immigrants living in Maryland.

“We are proud to be a part of the Volunteers in Medicine movement, offering medical care to our most vulnerable neighbors,” said Val Twanmoh, director of the Esperanza Center. “We are also extremely grateful to have medical service providers who generously give of their time to ensure that immigrants have access to the healthcare they so desperately need. Our volunteers help make it possible for us to offer walk-in medical services five days a week, in a welcoming and compassionate environment – and one that supports our belief that basic health care should be a fundamental right that should be available to all people, regardless of their status or ability to pay.”

About the Esperanza Center

The Esperanza Center is a comprehensive immigrant resource center that offers hope and essential services to people who are new to the United States. Since its founding in 1963, immigrants from all over the world have received important resources, including ESL and citizenship classes, health care and immigration legal services at the Esperanza Center.

About Catholic Charities of Baltimore

Catholic Charities of Baltimore is Maryland’s largest private provider of human services, offering assistance to children and families, people living in poverty, individuals with intellectual disabilities, immigrants and seniors without regard to religion, race or other circumstances. Inspired by the Gospel mandates to love, serve and teach, the more than 80 programs of Catholic Charities improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Marylanders each year. Catholic Charities continues a legacy of charity and compassion that began with the establishment of the Catholic Church in Baltimore in 1789. For more information, please visit www.cc-md.org.

Catholic Charities has experts available to discuss a wide variety of topics, including poverty, homelessness, mental health, intellectual disabilities, immigration and issues related to aging.

More information about Esperanza Center