The 2,000-mile border, stretching from Brownsville, Texas, to San Diego, California, represents a unique challenge for public health. More than a third of U.S. border families live at or below the poverty line. Rates of diseases such as hepatitis, dysentery and tuberculosis are rising on both sides of the border, and diabetes rates in certain areas are more than double the U.S. rate. The situation is compounded by the existence of a weak public health infrastructure.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has accepted the challenge, along with other Federal agencies, to improve border health conditions. Since 1996, HRSA has invested more than $200 million to provide border residents with primary health care, maternal and child health services, HIV/AIDS care, and programs to train and place health professionals on the border. Members of the HRSA Border Health Workgroup work with the U.S./Mexico Border Health Commission, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the President's Interagency Task Force on Southwest Border Economic Development, in addition to other Federal and State agencies, to improve child health, increase access to health care, eliminate health disparities, and improve the quality of life for those who live and work on the border. Border health is a priority for HRSA, and the agency continues to look for opportunities to collaborate and coordinate its programs with public and private entities to leverage resources along the U.S./Mexico border.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe conditions and health concerns along the US/Mexico border 2. Identify Federal efforts to address these conditions and concerns 3. Discuss possible future public/private partnerships to improve the health of persons living along the border
Keywords: Access to Health Care, Federal Initiatives
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/ Health Resources and Services Administration
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment