La Tosha Holmes wants to bridge the healthcare gap for Black and brown children.

That’s why the 42-year-old mother of two recently made history when she opened the first Black-owned practice in Webster, Texas, a Galveston County town about 30 minutes away from Houston.

Holmes, a Certified Nurse Practitioner, launched her practice iCare Pediatrics after working in children’s healthcare for 15 years. Throughout her career, Holmes said she noticed disparities in pediatric care for children of color.

“With every news article, book, social media post that you read, there will be an astounding deficit as it relates to Black and brown children and healthcare,” the University of Texas School of Nursing graduate said in Blacknews.com. “We know that infant mortality rates among Black infants are 2.5 times that of white infants (Singh & van Dyke, 2010). If we are to be successful in eliminating disparities in health (for children of color), we must first and foremost care enough (National Academies Press, 2009).”

Holmes witnessed these children not being cared for the same. She said their parents weren’t always treated with dignity and respect. These are a few reasons she cites for launching iCare Pediatrics.

The practice started with telemedicine offerings and home visits. Holmes now has a permanent location in Webster, and the office has flexible hours to accommodate parents who have to work a 9-to-5 shift.

iCare accepts children from birth to 21-years-old, and services include physicals, well visits, immunizations, counseling, dental exams and more.

“Every time I walk into a patient’s room, I walk in leading with love, care, skill and expertise,” Holmes said. “I have two young daughters myself, and with each patient, I strive to provide the same level of care that I provide my own children.”

“My goal is to listen to their families and provide a wealth of knowledge to those in my community.”