7 best sites to buy testosterone online in 2025
Whether you've searched the internet far and wide for the best TRT clinics, can't seem to escape posts about 'Low T' on social media, or just so happened to stumble upon this guide, you likely have more questions than answers when it comes to accessing online testosterone therapy.
Most people are familiar with the physical and emotional changes associated with menopause, but the hormonal changes that men face in their late forties and fifties have also come into the conversation. Now, more experts are raising awareness about plummeting testosterone levels in men — a phenomenon often referred to as 'Andropause.'
While it's natural for men's testosterone levels to fall as they age, the gap appears to be widening over time, and some experts have expressed concern. A 2023 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology revealed that testosterone levels in American men have dropped at a rate of roughly 1% per year.
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'It's not just guys over 50,' explained Deep Patel, the co-founder of Ulo, a telehealth clinic that has recently expanded into the TRT space. 'More and more men in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are dealing with low T. A lot of it comes from stress, lack of sleep, diet, or genetics. And then there's the stuff you can't really control, like microplastic exposure.'
post wanted picks Best TRT Clinic Overall: Ulo
Ulo Best Alternative TRT Clinic: Hims
Hims Best Holistic TRT Clinic: Hone
Hone Best Quick Online TRT Clinic: PeterMD
PeterMD Best TRT Prescription Alternative: Ro
Patel and many other experts in the field have seen a growing demand for TRT services. But what is TRT, exactly? Testosterone Replacement Therapy is a treatement used to restore the male hormone to normal, healthy levels. There are a few forms of testosterone treatment available: injections, gels, and tablets.
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There are several potential benefits of TRT, according to Patel: 'More energy, better workouts and faster recovery, higher libido, clearer thinking and focus, emotional stability, and a sense of drive and confidence that returns,' Patel shared.
The efficacy of this type of treatment is well-documented for men with low testosterone, yet it can still be challenging for people less familiar with TRT to find sites to buy testosterone online that are reputable, transparent, and safe.
To evaluate the best TRT clinics, The Post consulted several experts in the men's hormone space and vetted offerings across a number of telehealth sites, finding options that meet a range of needs, including clinics with personalized TRT programs, TRT alternatives, and the most affordable options for every man.
Read on for our expert-backed guide to the best TRT clinics.
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Best TRT Clinic Overall: Ulo
Ulo
Pros: The treatement is tailored to each person's needs and goals
No charges until the prescription is approved by the provider
Men can consider different forms of treatment, including injections, gels, and oral medication
Cons: Service availability may vary by state due to different telehealth regulations
After developing a telehealth platform that supports men's daily struggles (including hair loss and regrowth), Ulo expanded into the TRT space with personalized care for men at every stage of life. To get a TRT prescription at Ulo, patients must first complete a simple, at-home blood test. Then, a licensed physician will look at your lab work, discuss your history, and together, you can work out an appropriate course of treatment. Nobody is charged until they're prescription is approved by the provider. Ulo's founders have worked to create a platform that is user-friendly, highly responsive, and tailored to individuals' needs. It's not just about treating a problem, but looking at the whole picture — and this is the type of care you'll receive at Ulo.
Price: $50 per blood test. Starts at $159/month for testosterone injections, $169/month for testosterone topical gel, and $189/month for oral medication.
Best Alternative TRT Clinic: Hims
Hims
Pros: Hims offers a full suite of healthcare services, so you can access more than testosterone treatment
Pricing starts at just $39/month with flexible plans available
Dual-action treatments are available to target multiple health goals at once
Cons: Hims does not offer testosterone injections
Designed to support men every step of the way, Hims is among the most popular telehealth sites offering a range of healthcare solutions. The site is not just for men seeking TRT, but also offers weight loss support, anxiety medication, erectile dysfunction treatement, and more. Getting started is simple. Users will be directed to answer some basic health questions, and then they're connected with a provider who can review their information and create a personalized plan. While the brand does not offer testosterone injections, patients can still access other types of TRT as well as some treatments with dual-action benefits, so you can take care of hormone support in addition to other needs at the same time.
Price: The price of medications varies, with Sex Rx + Testosterone Support starting at $39/month.
Best Holistic TRT Clinic: Hone
Hone Health
Pros: Hone considers more than just testosterone with its in-depth biomarker testing
Completely personalized TRT protocols based on individual hormone levels and symptoms
Hone offers naturual supplements in addition to injections, gels, and tablets
Cons: Service availability may vary by state due to different telehealth regulations
For a more holistic approach to testosterone testing and treatement, consider Hone. This online clinic starts patients off with Doctor-designed blood tests, which evaluate 50 biomarkers, looking beyond testosterone to see the whole picture. It's more detailed and in-depth than some other blood tests, which could potentially flag other issues affecting hormone levels. After considering health history and individual goals, Hone formulates a plan to help patients optimize their healthspan. Treatment options include injections, gels, and tablets, as well as naturual supplements for testosterone and thyroid support.
Price: $60 per Biomarker Test. Starts at $25/month for discounted access to a limited number of medications that don't require lab testing, and $149/month for everything Hone offers: regular lab testing, physician consults, and full access to our medications.
Best Quick Online TRT Clinic: PeterMD
PeterMD
Pros: Patients can submit recent lab work to skip blood testing and get a prescription/treatement faster
User-friendly website, simple to navigate different treatement options, and get signed up fast
In-depth blood panels look beyond testosterone levels
Cons: PeterMD offers tablets and injections, but no testosterone creams or gels
Whether you're looking to up your libido, get more out of your workouts, or fight hair loss, PeterMD offers the support you need to find a solution. For men interested in TRT, PeterMD has a few paths to getting started. Men who have had their lab work done in the past six months can skip the blood-testing step and send their results right to PeterMD for evaluation. If you haven't had the necessary tests done, PeterMD will take care of that, too. There are a few different panels to select from, including a simple testosterone assessment panel, an optimization panel, a comprehensive panel, and a diagnostics panel that offers deeper insights into things like tumor markers, brain health, heavy metal exposure, and more. While this TRT clinic does not offer gels or creams, patients can still choose between oral treatement or injections.
Pricing: Testosterone Assessment Panel starts at $95, and testosterone treatment starts at $99/month
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Best TRT Prescription Alternative: Ro Testosterone Support Supplements
Ro
Pros: Ro offers a dietary supplement that supports testosterone production without hormones (a good alternative for those seeking natural solutions)
All of the ingredients in Ro's Roman Tesosterone support have been researched and vetted by Doctors
This formulation is said to be fast-working; ingredients are absorbed into the body in hours
Cons: May not be suitable for those seeking medication
Requires four tablets daily, not ideal for people who struggle with swallowing pills
Not everyone is ready to jump into TRT headfirst. If you're more interested in natural testosterone support (or prefer not to wait for a blood test or prescription), head right to Ro. Ro's physicians have designed a hormone-free supplement that helps support hormone production naturally, while also delivering a dose of key ingredients: magnesium for muscular health, maca for emotional stress, and ashwagandha to help with testosterone production. This is not the same as TRT, but it's a wonderful alternative for those interested in whole-body health, and it starts at just $35 a month.
Pricing: $35/mo and save $72/year when you choose a quarterly plan
Best TRT Oral Treatement: MangoRX
MangoRX
Pros: MangoRX offers Kyzatrex, an FDA-approved oral tablet that has shown high efficacy
Patients can choose between a 30-day or 60-day supply, which requires fewer frequent refills
Cons: This site only offers oral tablets, no injections, creams, or gels
Pricier than some other options
MangoRX is an innovative men's health clinic that makes it easy to take care of all your needs in one place. The site doesn't offer as many testosterone treatments as some competitors, but the process is simple: jump on a call with a board-certified physician, request a blood kit shipped to your front door, receive a prescription, and start with a simple, FDA-approved once-a-day pill. They're single option — Kyzatrex — has shown high efficacy in restoring testosterone levels to normal ranges. Oral tablets are also a great alternative for people who struggle with injections. Patients can also pick between a 30-day or 60-day supply, which requires fewer frequent refills.
Pricing: An initial visit and 60-day supply start at $249/month (first month free)
Best Online TRT Clinics FAQs
The Post consulted three men's health experts to answer some frequently asked questions about the best sites to buy testosterone online.
How do you get a TRT prescription?
To get a TRT prescription, telehealth clinics typically require a blood test. Testosterone blood tests measure the amount of the male hormone in the blood. The normal range is considered to be anywhere between 300 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter, but physicians also consider symptoms, as well as medical history, before writing up a prescription.
'Legally, it starts with comprehensive bloodwork, followed by a consultation with a licensed medical provider. If clinical symptoms align with hormone deficiencies confirmed by lab results, the provider may prescribe TRT,' explained Tomo Marjanovic, the owner of Aspire Rejuvenation Clinic, a wellness center specializing in personalized hormone therapy.
Marjanovic has warned that a TRT prescription is not something that you should be able to get from a simple online form because it's a medical therapy that needs real evaluation, not 'checkbox medicine.'
How do you choose the best site to buy testosterone online?
Thousands of online men's health clinics offer TRT online, but finding a credible and affordable option can be more challenging. Experts recommend buying testosterone from sites that are transparent with their process, offer a tailored approach for each patient, and maintain an open line of communication between people and Doctors.
'Search for a company that emphasizes medical care rather than product. TRT usage requires lab testing, the involvement of a physician, and thorough follow-up based on data,' Patel, the co-founder of Ulo, suggested. 'If those elements are not prominently indicated on the company's website, step away and
search for another option.'
What are the risks and side effects of TRT?
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While TRT is generally considered safe for long-term use, TRT clinics should always outline potential risks and coordinate follow-up appointments to discuss any potential side effects.
'TRT does come with risks that need to be taken seriously,' shared Patel, who explained that the most common side effects include acne, water retention, or elevated red blood cell counts, which can thicken your blood.
'Some men experience testicular shrinkage or reduced fertility, ' he added. 'There are also concerns about cardiovascular risks in certain populations, particularly men with existing heart conditions.'
Earlier this year, the FDA also issued class-wide labeling changes for TRT. The label language on all testosterone products must now include the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes and increased blood pressure.
What form of testosterone offers the best results?
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Currently, testosterone injections are the most popular form of treatment for low testosterone, but gels, creams, and oral tablets are also available.
'Injections, particularly shallow daily intramuscular or subcutaneous dosing, consistently offer the most predictable and stable results. Gels can work for some, but are inconsistent in absorption. Pellets are convenient but make dose adjustments difficult and can cause hormone spikes or crashes,' Marjanovic explained. 'I always say it's more about the patient's physiology and lifestyle, which delivery method to use, and not just 'convenience'.'
An article in The Journal For Nurse Practitioners found that Depo-Testosterone was the most cost-efficient TRT option, and Androderm was the most efficacious TRT medication, with up to 92% of patients reaching normal testosterone levels with consistent use.
Are there any online TRT clinics that accept insurance?
There are some TRT clinics that accept insurance, but details vary on the type of treatement and specific diagnoses. Most insurance providers require TRT candidates to provide documentation of symptoms and lab work that indicates their testosterone has fallen below the normal levels.
What's the cheapest online TRT clinic?
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Many online TRT clinics offer competitive pricing options. PeterMD, for example, gives patients the option to submit previous lab work, which can save money up front. Ulo does not charge patients until their prescription is approved by the provider, so you can get started at no risk.
This article was written by Miska Salemann, New York Post Commerce Writer/Reporter. As a health-forward member of Gen Z, Miska seeks out experts to weigh in on the benefits, safety and designs of both trending and tried-and-true fitness equipment, workout clothing, dietary supplements and more. Taking matters into her own hands, Miska intrepidly tests wellness products, ranging from Bryan Johnson's Blueprint Longevity Mix to home gym elliptical machines to Jennifer Aniston's favorite workout platform – often with her adorable one-year old daughter by her side. Before joining The Post, Miska covered lifestyle and consumer topics for the U.S. Sun and The Cannon Beach Gazette.
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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
As Trump's raids ramp up, a Texas region's residents stay inside — even when they need medical care
WESLACO, Texas — These days, Juanita says a prayer every time she steps off the driveway of her modest rural home. The 41-year-old mother, who crossed into the United States from Mexico more than two decades ago and married an American carpenter, fears federal agents may be on the hunt for her. As she was about to leave for the pharmacy late last month, her husband called with a frantic warning: Immigration enforcement officers were swarming the store's parking lot. Juanita, who is prediabetic, skipped filling medications that treat her nutrient deficiencies. She also couldn't risk being detained because she has to care for her 17-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome. 'If I am caught, who's going to help my daughter?' Juanita asks in Spanish, through an interpreter. Some people quoted in this story insisted that the Associated Press publish only their first names because of concerns over their immigration status. As the Trump administration intensifies deportation activity around the country, some immigrants — including many who have lived in Texas's southern tip for decades — are unwilling to leave their homes, even for necessary medical care. Tucked behind the freeway strip malls, roadside taquerias and vast citrus groves that span this 160-mile stretch of the Rio Grande Valley are people like Juanita, who need critical medical care in one of the nation's poorest and unhealthiest regions. For generations, Mexican families have harmoniously settled — some legally, some not — in this predominately Latino community where immigration status was once hardly top of mind. White House officials have directed federal agents to leave no location unchecked, including hospitals and churches, in their drive to remove 1 million immigrants by year's end. Those agents are even combing through the federal government's largest medical record databases to search for immigrants who may be in the United States illegally. Deportations and tougher restrictions will come with consequences, says Mark Krikorian, the director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that favors restrictive immigration policies. 'We shouldn't have let it get out of hand the way we did,' Krikorian says of the previous administration's immigration policies. 'Some businesses are going to have difficulties. Some communities are going to face difficulties.' Federal agents' raids began reaching deeper into everyday life across the Rio Grande Valley in June, just as the area's 1.4 million residents began their summer ritual of enduring the suffocating heat. This working-class stretch of Texas solidly backed Trump in the 2024 election, despite campaign promises to ruthlessly pursue mass deportations. People here, who once moved regularly from the U.S. to Mexico to visit relatives or get cheap dental care, say they didn't realize his deportation campaign would focus on their neighbors. But in recent weeks, restaurant workers have been escorted out mid-shift and farmers have suddenly lost field workers. Schoolchildren talk openly about friends who lost a parent in raids. More than a dozen were arrested last month at local flea markets, according to local news reports and Border Patrol officials. Immigrants are staying shut inside their mobiles homes and shacks that make up the 'colonias,' zoning-free neighborhoods that sometimes don't have access to running water or electricity, says Sandra de la Cruz-Yarrison, who runs the Holy Family Services, Inc. clinic in Weslaco, Texas. 'People are not going to risk it,' de la Cruz-Yarrison says. 'People are being stripped from their families.' Yet people here are among the most medically needy in the country. Nearly half the population is obese. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and elderly people are more likely to develop dementia. Bladder cancers can be more aggressive. One out of every four people lives with diabetes. As much as a third of the population doesn't have health insurance to cover those ailments. And a quarter of people live in poverty, more than double the national average. Now, many in this region are on a path to develop worse health outcomes as they skip doctor appointments out of fear, says Dr. Stanley Fisch, a pediatrician who helped open Driscoll Children's Hospital in the region last year. 'We've always had, unfortunately, people who have gone with untreated diabetes for a long time and now it's compounded with these other issues at the moment,' Fisch says. 'This is a very dangerous situation for people. The population is suffering accordingly.' Elvia was the unlucky — and unsuspecting — patient who sat down for the finger prick the clinic offers everyone during its monthly educational meeting for community members. As blood oozed out of her finger, the monitor registered a 194 glucose level, indicating she is prediabetic. She balked at the idea of writing down her address for regular care at Holy Family Services' clinic. Nor did she want to enroll in Medicaid, the federal and state funded program that provides health care coverage to the poorest Americans. Although she is a legal resident, some people living in her house do not have legal status. Fewer people have come to Holy Family Services' clinic with coverage in recent months, says billing coordinator Elizabeth Reta. Over decades, the clinic's midwifery staff has helped birth thousands of babies in bathtubs or on cozy beds in birthing houses situated throughout the campus. But now, Reta says, some parents are too scared to sign those children up for health insurance because they do not want to share too much information with the government. 'Even people I personally know that used to have Medicaid for their children that were born here — that are legally here, but the parents are not — they stopped requesting Medicaid,' Reta says. Their worry is well-founded. An Associated Press investigation last week revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have gained access to personal health data — including addresses — of the nation's 79 million Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollees. The disclosure will allow ICE officials to receive 'identity and location information of aliens,' documents obtained by the AP say. In Texas, the governor started requiring emergency room staff to ask patients about their legal status, a move that doctors have argued will dissuade immigrants from seeking needed care. State officials have said the data will show how much money is spent on care for immigrants who may not be here legally. Federal law requires emergency rooms to treat any patients who come to the doors. Visits to Holy Family Services' mobile clinic have stopped altogether since Trump took office. The van, which once offered checkups at the doorsteps in the colonias, now sits running on idle. Its constant hum is heard throughout the clinic's campus, to keep medical supplies fresh in the 100-degree temperatures. 'These were hard-hit communities that really needed the services,' de la Cruz-Yarrison says. 'People were just not coming after the administration changed.' Immigrants were less likely to seek medical care during Trump's first term, multiple studies concluded. A 2023 study of well-child visits in Boston, Minneapolis and Little Rock, Arkansas, noted a 5% drop for children who were born to immigrant mothers after Trump was elected in 2016. The study also noted declines in visits when news about Trump's plans to tighten immigration rules broke throughout his first term. 'It's a really high-anxiety environment where they're afraid to talk to the pediatrician, go to school or bring their kids to child care,' says Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, a Boston University researcher who oversaw the study. A delayed trip to the doctor almost cost 82-year-old Maria Isabel de Perez her son this spring. He refused to seek help for his intense and constant stomach pains for weeks, instead popping Tylenol daily so he could still labor in the farm fields of Arkansas, she says. He put off going to the hospital as rumors swirled that immigration enforcement officials were outside of the hospital. 'He waited and waited because he felt the pain but was too scared to go to the hospital,' she explains in Spanish through an interpreter. 'He couldn't go until the appendix exploded.' Her son is still recovering after surgery and has not been able to return to work, she says. Perez is a permanent resident who has lived in the United States for 40 years. But all of her children were born in Mexico, and, because she is a green card holder, she cannot sponsor them for citizenship. Maria, meanwhile, only leaves her house to volunteer at a local food bank. She's skipped work on nearby farms. And after last month's arrests, she won't sell clothes for money at the flea market anymore. So she stuffs cardboard boxes with loaves of bread, potatoes, peppers and beans that will be handed out to the hungry. Before the raids began, about 130 people would drive up to collect a box of food from Maria. But on this sweltering June day, only 68 people show up for food. She brings home a box weekly to her children, ages 16, 11 and 4, who are spending the summer shut inside. Her 16-year-old daughter has skipped the checkup she needs to refill her depression medication. The teenager, who checks in on friends whose parents have been arrested in immigration raids through a text group chat, insists she is 'doing OK.' Maria left Mexico years ago because dangerous gangs rule her hometown, she explains. She's married now to an American truck driver. 'We're not bad people,' Maria says from her dining room table, where her 4-year-old son happily eats a lime green popsicle. 'We just want to have a better future for our children.' Juanita, the prediabetic mother who hasn't filled her prescriptions out of fear, was not sure when she would brave the pharmacy again. But with a cross hanging around her neck, the devout Catholic says she will say three invocations before she does. Explains her 15-year-old son, Jose: 'We always pray before we leave.' Seitz and Martin write for the Associated Press.
Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
As Trump's raids ramp up, a Texas region's residents stay inside — even when they need medical care
WESLACO, Texas — These days, Juanita says a prayer every time she steps off the driveway of her modest rural home. The 41-year-old mother, who crossed into the United States from Mexico more than two decades ago and married an American carpenter, fears federal agents may be on the hunt for her. As she was about to leave for the pharmacy late last month, her husband called with a frantic warning: Immigration enforcement officers were swarming the store's parking lot. Juanita, who is prediabetic, skipped filling medications that treat her nutrient deficiencies. She also couldn't risk being detained because she has to care for her 17-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome. ICE arrests increase across Chicago under Trump, many with no convictions, data shows'If I am caught, who's going to help my daughter?' Juanita asks in Spanish, through an interpreter. Some people quoted in this story insisted that The Associated Press publish only their first names because of concerns over their immigration status. As the Trump administration intensifies deportation activity around the country, some immigrants — including many who have lived in Texas's southern tip for decades — are unwilling to leave their homes, even for necessary medical care. Tucked behind the freeway strip malls, roadside taquerias and vast citrus groves that span this 160-mile stretch of the Rio Grande Valley are people like Juanita, who need critical medical care in one of the nation's poorest and unhealthiest regions. For generations, Mexican families have harmoniously settled — some legally, some not — in this predominately Latino community where immigration status was once hardly top of mind. White House officials have directed federal agents to leave no location unchecked, including hospitals and churches, in their drive to remove 1 million immigrants by year's end. Those agents are even combing through the federal government's largest medical record databases to search for immigrants who may be in the United States illegally. Deportations and tougher restrictions will come with consequences, says Mark Krikorian, the director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that favors restrictive immigration policies. 'We shouldn't have let it get out of hand the way we did,' Krikorian says of the previous administration's immigration policies. 'Some businesses are going to have difficulties. Some communities are going to face difficulties.' Federal agents' raids began reaching deeper into everyday life across the Rio Grande Valley in June, just as the area's 1.4 million residents began their summer ritual of enduring the suffocating heat. This working-class stretch of Texas solidly backed Trump in the 2024 election, despite campaign promises to ruthlessly pursue mass deportations. People here, who once moved regularly from the U.S. to Mexico to visit relatives or get cheap dental care, say they didn't realize his deportation campaign would focus on their neighbors. But in recent weeks, restaurant workers have been escorted out mid-shift and farmers have suddenly lost field workers. Schoolchildren talk openly about friends who lost a parent in raids. More than a dozen were arrested last month at local flea markets, according to local news reports and Border Patrol officials. Immigrants are staying shut inside their mobiles homes and shacks that make up the 'colonias,' zoning-free neighborhoods that sometimes don't have access to running water or electricity, says Sandra de la Cruz-Yarrison, who runs the Holy Family Services, Inc. clinic in Weslaco, Texas. 'People are not going to risk it,' de la Cruz-Yarrison says. 'People are being stripped from their families.' Yet people here are among the most medically needy in the country. Nearly half the population is obese. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and elderly people are more likely to develop dementia. Bladder cancers can be more aggressive. One out of every four people lives with diabetes. As much as a third of the population doesn't have health insurance to cover those ailments. And a quarter of people live in poverty, more than double the national average. Now, many in this region are on a path to develop worse health outcomes as they skip doctors appointments out of fear, says Dr. Stanley Fisch, a pediatrician who helped open Driscoll Children's Hospital in the region last year. 'We've always had, unfortunately, people who have gone with untreated diabetes for a long time and now it's compounded with these other issues at the moment,' Fisch says. 'This is a very dangerous situation for people. The population is suffering accordingly.' Elvia was the unlucky — and unsuspecting — patient who sat down for the finger prick the clinic offers everyone during its monthly educational meeting for community members. As blood oozed out of her finger, the monitor registered a 194 glucose level, indicating she is prediabetic. She balked at the idea of writing down her address for regular care at Holy Family Services' clinic. Nor did she want to enroll in Medicaid, the federal and state funded program that provides health care coverage to the poorest Americans. Although she is a legal resident, some people living in her house do not have legal status. Fewer people have come to Holy Family Services' clinic with coverage in recent months, says billing coordinator Elizabeth Reta. Over decades, the clinic's midwifery staff has helped birth thousands of babies in bathtubs or on cozy beds in birthing houses situated throughout the campus. But now, Reta says, some parents are too scared to sign those children up for health insurance because they do not want to share too much information with the government. 'Even people I personally know that used to have Medicaid for their children that were born here — that are legally here, but the parents are not — they stopped requesting Medicaid,' Reta says. Their worry is well-founded. An Associated Press investigation last week revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have gained access to personal health data — including addresses — of the nation's 79 million Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollees. The disclosure will allow ICE officials to receive 'identity and location information of aliens,' documents obtained by the AP say. In Texas, the governor started requiring emergency room staff to ask patients about their legal status, a move that doctors have argued will dissuade immigrants from seeking needed care. State officials have said the data will show how much money is spent on care for immigrants who may not be here legally. Federal law requires emergency rooms to treat any patients who come to the doors. Visits to Holy Family Services' mobile clinic have stopped altogether since Trump took office. The van, which once offered checkups at the doorsteps in the colonias, now sits running on idle. Its constant hum is heard throughout the clinic's campus, to keep medical supplies fresh in the 100-degree temperatures. 'These were hard-hit communities that really needed the services,' de la Cruz-Yarrison says. 'People were just not coming after the administration changed.' Immigrants were less likely to seek medical care during Trump's first term, multiple studies concluded. A 2023 study of well-child visits in Boston, Minneapolis and Little Rock, Arkansas, noted a 5% drop for children who were born to immigrant mothers after Trump was elected in 2016. The study also noted declines in visits when news about Trump's plans to tighten immigration rules broke throughout his first term. 'It's a really high-anxiety environment where they're afraid to talk to the pediatrician, go to school or bring their kids to child care,' says Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, a Boston University researcher who oversaw the study. A delayed trip to the doctor almost cost 82-year-old Maria Isabel de Perez her son this spring. He refused to seek help for his intense and constant stomach pains for weeks, instead popping Tylenol daily so he could still labor in the farm fields of Arkansas, she says. He put off going to the hospital as rumors swirled that immigration enforcement officials were outside of the hospital. 'He waited and waited because he felt the pain but was too scared to go to the hospital,' she explains in Spanish through an interpreter. 'He couldn't go until the appendix exploded.' Her son is still recovering after surgery and has not been able to return to work, she says. Perez is a permanent resident who has lived in the United States for 40 years. But all of her children were born in Mexico, and, because she is a green card holder, she cannot sponsor them for citizenship. Maria, meanwhile, only leaves her house to volunteer at Holy Family Services' food bank. She's skipped work on nearby farms. And after last month's arrests, she won't sell clothes for money at the flea market anymore. So she stuffs cardboard boxes with loaves of bread, potatoes, peppers and beans that will be handed out to the hungry. Before the raids began, about 130 people would drive up to collect a box of food from Maria. But on this sweltering June day, only 68 people show up for food. She brings home a box every week to her children, ages 16, 11 and 4, who are spending the summer shut inside. Her 16-year-old daughter has skipped the checkup she needs to refill her depression medication. The teenager, who checks in on friends whose parents have been arrested in immigration raids through a text group chat, insists she is 'doing OK.' Maria left Mexico years ago because dangerous gangs rule her hometown, she explains. She's married now to an American truck driver. 'We're not bad people,' Maria says from her dining room table, where her 4-year-old son happily eats a lime green popsicle. 'We just want to have a better future for our children.' Juanita, the prediabetic mother who hasn't filled her prescriptions out of fear, was not sure when she would brave the pharmacy again. But with a cross hanging around her neck, the devout Catholic says she will say three invocations before she does. Explains her 15-year-old son, Jose: 'We always pray before we leave.'
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
As Trump's raids ramp up, a Texas region's residents stay inside — even when they need medical care
These days, Juanita says a prayer every time she steps off the driveway of her modest rural home. The 41-year-old mother, who crossed into the United States from Mexico more than two decades ago and married an American carpenter, fears federal agents may be on the hunt for her. As she was about to leave for the pharmacy late last month, her husband called with a frantic warning: Immigration enforcement officers were swarming the store's parking lot. Juanita, who is prediabetic, skipped filling medications that treat her nutrient deficiencies. She also couldn't risk being detained because she has to care for her 17-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome. 'If I am caught, who's going to help my daughter?" Juanita asks in Spanish, through an interpreter. Some people quoted in this story insisted that The Associated Press publish only their first names because of concerns over their immigration status. As the Trump administration intensifies deportation activity around the country, some immigrants — including many who have lived in Texas's southern tip for decades — are unwilling to leave their homes, even for necessary medical care. Tucked behind the freeway strip malls, roadside taquerias and vast citrus groves that span this 160-mile stretch of the Rio Grande Valley are people like Juanita, who need critical medical care in one of the nation's poorest and unhealthiest regions. For generations, Mexican families have harmoniously settled — some legally, some not — in this predominately Latino community where immigration status was once hardly top of mind. White House officials have directed federal agents to leave no location unchecked, including hospitals and churches, in their drive to remove 1 million immigrants by year's end. Those agents are even combing through the federal government's largest medical record databases to search for immigrants who may be in the United States illegally. Deportations and tougher restrictions will come with consequences, says Mark Krikorian, the director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that favors restrictive immigration policies. 'We shouldn't have let it get out of hand the way we did,' Krikorian says of the previous administration's immigration policies. 'Some businesses are going to have difficulties. Some communities are going to face difficulties." Federal agents' raids began reaching deeper into everyday life across the Rio Grande Valley in June, just as the area's 1.4 million residents began their summer ritual of enduring the suffocating heat. This working-class stretch of Texas solidly backed Trump in the 2024 election, despite campaign promises to ruthlessly pursue mass deportations. People here, who once moved regularly from the U.S. to Mexico to visit relatives or get cheap dental care, say they didn't realize his deportation campaign would focus on their neighbors. But in recent weeks, restaurant workers have been escorted out mid-shift and farmers have suddenly lost field workers. Schoolchildren talk openly about friends who lost a parent in raids. More than a dozen were arrested last month at local flea markets, according to local news reports and Border Patrol officials. Immigrants are staying shut inside their mobiles homes and shacks that make up the 'colonias," zoning-free neighborhoods that sometimes don't have access to running water or electricity, says Sandra de la Cruz-Yarrison, who runs the Holy Family Services, Inc. clinic in Weslaco, Texas. 'People are not going to risk it,' de la Cruz-Yarrison says. 'People are being stripped from their families.' Yet people here are among the most medically needy in the country. Nearly half the population is obese. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and elderly people are more likely to develop dementia. Bladder cancers can be more aggressive. One out of every four people lives with diabetes. As much as a third of the population doesn't have health insurance to cover those ailments. And a quarter of people live in poverty, more than double the national average. Now, many in this region are on a path to develop worse health outcomes as they skip doctors appointments out of fear, says Dr. Stanley Fisch, a pediatrician who helped open Driscoll Children's Hospital in the region last year. 'We've always had, unfortunately, people who have gone with untreated diabetes for a long time and now it's compounded with these other issues at the moment,' Fisch says. 'This is a very dangerous situation for people. The population is suffering accordingly.' Trepidations about going to clinics are spreading Elvia was the unlucky — and unsuspecting — patient who sat down for the finger prick the clinic offers everyone during its monthly educational meeting for community members. As blood oozed out of her finger, the monitor registered a 194 glucose level, indicating she is prediabetic. She balked at the idea of writing down her address for regular care at Holy Family Services' clinic. Nor did she want to enroll in Medicaid, the federal and state funded program that provides health care coverage to the poorest Americans. Although she is a legal resident, some people living in her house do not have legal status. Fewer people have come to Holy Family Services' clinic with coverage in recent months, says billing coordinator Elizabeth Reta. Over decades, the clinic's midwifery staff has helped birth thousands of babies in bathtubs or on cozy beds in birthing houses situated throughout the campus. But now, Reta says, some parents are too scared to sign those children up for health insurance because they do not want to share too much information with the government. 'Even people I personally know that used to have Medicaid for their children that were born here — that are legally here, but the parents are not — they stopped requesting Medicaid," Reta says. Their worry is well-founded. An Associated Press investigation last week revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have gained access to personal health data — including addresses — of the nation's 79 million Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollees. The disclosure will allow ICE officials to receive 'identity and location information of aliens,' documents obtained by the AP say. In Texas, the governor started requiring emergency room staff to ask patients about their legal status, a move that doctors have argued will dissuade immigrants from seeking needed care. State officials have said the data will show how much money is spent on care for immigrants who may not be here legally. Federal law requires emergency rooms to treat any patients who come to the doors. Visits to Holy Family Services' mobile clinic have stopped altogether since Trump took office. The van, which once offered checkups at the doorsteps in the colonias, now sits running on idle. Its constant hum is heard throughout the clinic's campus, to keep medical supplies fresh in the 100-degree temperatures. 'These were hard-hit communities that really needed the services,' de la Cruz-Yarrison says. 'People were just not coming after the administration changed.' A mother almost loses a son. A daughter is too scared to visit the doctor Immigrants were less likely to seek medical care during Trump's first term, multiple studies concluded. A 2023 study of well-child visits in Boston, Minneapolis and Little Rock, Arkansas, noted a 5% drop for children who were born to immigrant mothers after Trump was elected in 2016. The study also noted declines in visits when news about Trump's plans to tighten immigration rules broke throughout his first term. 'It's a really high-anxiety environment where they're afraid to talk to the pediatrician, go to school or bring their kids to child care,' says Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, a Boston University researcher who oversaw the study. A delayed trip to the doctor almost cost 82-year-old Maria Isabel de Perez her son this spring. He refused to seek help for his intense and constant stomach pains for weeks, instead popping Tylenol daily so he could still labor in the farm fields of Arkansas, she says. He put off going to the hospital as rumors swirled that immigration enforcement officials were outside of the hospital. 'He waited and waited because he felt the pain but was too scared to go to the hospital,' she explains in Spanish through an interpreter. 'He couldn't go until the appendix exploded.' Her son is still recovering after surgery and has not been able to return to work, she says. Perez is a permanent resident who has lived in the United States for 40 years. But all of her children were born in Mexico, and, because she is a green card holder, she cannot sponsor them for citizenship. Maria, meanwhile, only leaves her house to volunteer at Holy Family Services' food bank. She's skipped work on nearby farms. And after last month's arrests, she won't sell clothes for money at the flea market anymore. So she stuffs cardboard boxes with loaves of bread, potatoes, peppers and beans that will be handed out to the hungry. Before the raids began, about 130 people would drive up to collect a box of food from Maria. But on this sweltering June day, only 68 people show up for food. She brings home a box every week to her children, ages 16, 11 and 4, who are spending the summer shut inside. Her 16-year-old daughter has skipped the checkup she needs to refill her depression medication. The teenager, who checks in on friends whose parents have been arrested in immigration raids through a text group chat, insists she is 'doing OK.' Maria left Mexico years ago because dangerous gangs rule her hometown, she explains. She's married now to an American truck driver. 'We're not bad people,' Maria says from her dining room table, where her 4-year-old son happily eats a lime green popsicle. 'We just want to have a better future for our children.' Juanita, the prediabetic mother who hasn't filled her prescriptions out of fear, was not sure when she would brave the pharmacy again. But with a cross hanging around her neck, the devout Catholic says she will say three invocations before she does.
