Nurse is passionate about helping her pregnant clients

For more than a decade, Monica Arango has served as a Healthy Beginnings Nurse with the Florida Department of Health. Her job is to help pregnant women primarily in the Spanish-speaking communities in central Palm Beach County—Lake Worth, Palm Springs and West Palm Beach.  

The past five months have been tough. Four of her clients have tested positive for COVID-19. Another two of her clients lost their babies — one born prematurely and one of unknown causes.  

Her supervisor, Louella Lutchi, talked about Monica and how what she does is not just a job for her, it’s a mission. 

“Monica is dedicated, passionate. It’s in her heart to help people. She gets a lot of clients just entering the country who have had a lot of trauma. When her clients call her saying they have COVID-19 symptoms such as a fever, she’s been the one to provide them with resources such as where to get tested. Most of them are young moms who have multiple families in the house. Monica provides them with peace of mind.” 

“One client she has is a 16-year-old who only speaks Spanish and didn’t get prenatal care before being assigned to Monica. She said she was 32 weeks pregnant. She scheduled a prenatal appointment, but it was cancelled because of COVID-19. A week after the cancellation, she went to St. Mary’s and delivered a preemie. The doctor said the baby was 29 weeks or 30 weeks. The baby passed away.” 

“It was very challenging for the client to get the help she needed for her baby’s burial. Monica was able to connect her with El Sol in Jupiter and they paid for everything for her baby’s burial. She also linked the client to the Palm Beach County School District to continue her education and referred her for counseling. Monica continues to provide services to the client through the Interconception Care program.” 

“Monica’s very resilient and she’s always there to help and support her clients. Her clients are always thankful they have a nurse like Monica.”