Health care
BY PARKS KUGLE
Nonpro t Breathing Angels bridges the gap in medical care After 45 years in the biomedical industry, Johnny Rodriguez rst realized a need to provide a ordable respiratory medical equipment in the San Antonio region in 2019, when hospitals began calling him about underinsured or uninsured patients who required equipment. In response to this need, Rodriguez began xing up broken equipment to either sell at a low price, rent out or donate to a patient. “[Breathing Angels is] basically like the Good- will of medical equipment,” Rodriguez said. The background Rodriguez said Breathing Angels received its name from grateful patients. ”During COVID-19, we started getting a lot of calls from hospitals [who] would have patients
Breathing Angels supplies a wide range of equipment: • Oxygen concentrators • Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machines • Bilevel positive airway pressure machines • Child-friendly respiratory equipment • Nebulizers • Hospital beds • Suction machines for tracheotomy patients • Suction catheters for tracheotomy patients • Oxygen tank re ills
waiting in the hallways to go home, but they didn’t have money to go home [with proper med- ical equipment] or they didn’t have oxygen. A lot of patients started saying ‘you’re my breathing angel,’ so that’s how we got the name,” Rodriguez said. The nonpro t helps provide medical equip- ment for patients falling between the gaps in coverage. “We have patients that a lot of times have an accident, [where] they weren’t insured, but they couldn’t apply for Medicaid [because] they’re too old. They couldn’t apply for Medicare, [because] they’re too young, so we have to wait for them to get disability. During that gap, you’ve got to cover the patient’s [needs], so we cover those gaps,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said Breathing Angels provides equipment at a very a ordable rate. “One [patient] needed a CPAP and [another company] was charging her $1,400 for it here in Austin, and I got her a machine, not brand new, of course, that’s working perfectly and we told her it was $275 to buy,” Rodriguez said.
From 2020-23, Breathing Angels assisted over 1,300 patients, covering roughly $500 per indi- vidual in medical expenses and distributing over 5,000 pieces of equipment. In 2024, the nonpro t assisted approximately 400 patients. As of June, Rodriguez said that they have helped around 500 patients so far in 2025. “We service San Antonio and the surrounding suburbs, sometimes we make special trips to Uvalde, to Kerrville, to Floresville. I get a few calls from Houston; I get requests from MD Anderson Cancer Center ... I [also] have a com- pany in Austin, Texas that we’re going to help with nebulizers for pediatric care,” Rodriguez said. Currently, the nonpro t has a liations with 11 hospitals in the San Antonio region, including University Health, Mission Trail Baptist Hospital, Christus Health and Methodist Hospital in Stone Oak. Stay tuned Breathing Angels plans to expand its operations to Austin by the end of the year.
SOURCE: BREATHING ANGELS COMMUNITY IMPACT
1604
Helotes
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11844 Bandera Road, Ste. 186, Helotes www.breathingangels.org
Johnny Rodriguez rst realized a need to provide a ordable respiratory medical equipment in the San Antonio region in 2019.
Breathing Angels helps to provide equipment for patients falling between gaps in coverage.
PHOTOS COURTESY BREATHING ANGELS
STONE OAK 23026 US Hwy 281 N (210) 497-1322 DE ZAVALA 5219 De Zavala Rd (210) 561-0900
VINEYARD 1309 N Loop 1604 W (210) 408-8206
RECTOR 819 E Rector Dr (210) 340-2244
LEGACY 2003 N Loop 1604 E (210) 494-8600
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