By Amy White
The Texas Catholic

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas received an inaugural Texas Impact Enterprise Award from the Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute of Engineering and Humanities at Southern Methodist University on May 30. The award is presented to select trailblazing organizations that have a meaningful environmental or social impact in Texas.  

“The Texas Impact Enterprise Award recognizes what significantly sets SVdP apart: its innovative approach to addressing the root causes of poverty and actionizing and offering viable solutions,” said Luis Gonzalez, chief executive officer of SVdP of North Texas. “From utilities assistance to educational programs and access to free prescriptions, it’s constantly seeking new and effective solutions to empower its neighbors.”   

The award specifically recognized the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, a charitable pharmacy located in Dallas. The pharmacy’s mission is to increase access to quality medical care for low-income, uninsured Texans. It is the only charitable pharmacy in the Lone Star State that provides statewide access to free medication. 

“St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy has filled the gap for many uninsured north Texans in need of prescription medication and has experienced rapid growth—even more significantly this past year,” Gonzalez said.  

The pharmacy opened in 2018 and has since expanded its reach. In its inaugural year, the pharmacy served about 900 patients and distributed around 9,000 prescriptions. In 2023, those numbers had grown to nearly 4,000 patients served within the year and more than 103,000 prescriptions distributed. While the pharmacy had served nine counties in north Texas during its first year, it now ships materials to patients in more than 250 Texas cities. The pharmacy has dispensed more than 325,000 prescriptions, valuing $92.8 million, since its inception. 

‘Through the eyes of God’ 

Although these numbers are impressive, the heart of the pharmacy is in its mission. 

Chuck Stegman, a St. Thomas Aquinas parishioner and a four-year volunteer at the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, visits the pharmacy weekly to organize shelves, check invoices, and take inventory. Stegman’s role may seem small, but he is an important part of a team—pharmacists, technicians, patient advocates, volunteers—that is passionate about its mission. 

“It’s just really nice to be a little part of what this [pharmacy] is hopefully doing,” he said, “because I think it’s keeping a lot of people safe, keeping the medications refilled—and it’s free!” 

For many members of the pharmacy, Stegman said, their work is much more than a job; it’s a calling. 

“It’s a mission to be helpful in any way to the group,” he shared. 

“Patients aren’t just a number for us; we really try to help them out,” Carlos Irula, pharmacy director, said. “Our main goal is to share God’s love by providing free access to lifesaving medication for neighbors with dignity… It’s just seeing people through the eyes of God. There are so many people that need help; and in this case, we’re just trying to give a helping hand to somebody who’s struggling. 

“There’s no other pharmacy like it in Texas. One pharmacy is providing free access to lifesaving medications to uninsured patients for no cost and delivered straight to their doorstep. It’s really been amazing just to be a part of it.” 

‘Serving those in need’

Spurred by their mission, those at the pharmacy have been working to expand their reach to more and more Texans in need of their services. One way the pharmacy has managed to reach more Texans is by partnering with a courier service to provide next day shipping to patients’ homes at no cost to the patients.  

“One of the reasons we chose to build our free shipping model is because our patients, even if they live 10 miles from the pharmacy, for most, that means potentially one or two bus rides,” Irula said. “We made the decision that, as long as we have adequate funding, we’ll ship it straight to your doorstep, alleviating that burden or that barrier of transportation.”   

The pharmacy also utilizes innovative technology to expand its impact. A recent technological addition, the Parata Max 2 Robot granted to the pharmacy by the Communities Foundation of Texas, increases efficiency through its vial-filling automation. Since installation about a year and a half ago, the robot has dispensed nearly 3 million tablets. 

“It’s just been a godsend to us,” Irula said, “because the ability to use this automation just greatly enhances our capacity.”   
The pharmacy also utilizes an app that patients can use to communicate with the pharmacy and request refills. Irula said that the pharmacy partners with CareMessage to send automated messages to patients to remind them to take their medications on time and to suggest lifestyle modifications. The pharmacy also provides patients with access to patient advocates who help them fill out forms, often over a phone interview. 

Reflecting on the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy’s Texas Impact Enterprise Award, Irula expressed gratitude for the recognition.  
“It means a great deal to us and our team, because it really validates our commitment to serving those in need and highlights the importance of our mission to provide access to medications to underserved populations.”   

Stegman expressed a similar sentiment, stating, “It’s well deserved. Prescriptions go out on a regular basis; they’re efficient; and the teamwork is awesome… We have faith that this good work is going to continue to increase.”

Cutline for featured image: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas received the Texas Impact Enterprise Award at Southern Methodist University on May 30 in recognition of the charitable work of the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy. From left, SVdP of North Texas Council Board President Joe Manogue, SVdP of North Texas Chief Executive Officer Luis Gonzalez, Pharmacy Director of St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy Carlos Irula, and Pharmacy Advisory Board member Tim Scheppenbach. (Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas photo)