Dental experts clean a patient’s teeth at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
As part of its ongoing commitment to addressing the unique healthcare needs of rural and underserved communities throughout the state, Texas A&M University recently participated in multiple health-focused initiatives across South Texas.
From July 24-28, students, faculty and staff from the Texas A&M Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health), School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Arts and Sciences took part in Operation Border Health Preparedness. Aggies worked with the Texas Department of State Health Services and a variety of other agencies and partner organizations to provide free medical, dental, vision and veterinary services in Laredo and the Lower Rio Grande Valley counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy.
This year was Texas A&M Health’s fifth time and VMBS’s third time participating in the event, which provides vital services to thousands of patients each year. (Learn more about Operation Broder Health Preparedness from Texas A&M Health and VMBS.)
School of Pharmacy student Jessica Sierra handles patient information at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
Patients await treatment at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
The gymnasium at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
A volunteer listens to a patient’s needs at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
A medical expert immunizes a patient at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
The dental staging area at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
Dental experts clean the teeth of a patient at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
Students speak with a patient at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
The PSJA Bears Band performs at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
School of Pharmacy student Christina Kang speaks with a volunteer at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
Texas A&M health science students discuss a patient’s needs at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
Medical and pharmacy students speak at PSJA Early College High School in Pharr, Texas on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Cameron Johnson/Texas A&M Health
Meanwhile, in the coastal bend county of Nueces, Texas A&M’s Colonias Program once again partnered with local health authorities and the U.S. Department of Defense for Operation Health and Wellness from July 18-27. The event provided free health services to around 2,000 patients from Corpus Christi and surrounding communities, including the county’s 38 colonias — unincorporated housing developments that often lack vital infrastructure such as running water and sewage systems.
The Texas A&M Colonias Program has been working to sustainably improve the quality of life in these communities since 1991. (Learn more about the Colonias Program and Operation Health and Wellness.)