Transcript United States - Mexico Border Health Commission

United States – Mexico
Border Health Commission
If the U.S. - Mexico Border were a
separate state, it would rank...
 First in number of children living in poverty;
 Second in Tuberculosis incidences;
 Third in deaths from Hepatitis;
 Last in number of health professionals/100,000
population;
 Last in per capita income.
U.S. Mexico Border Counties Coalition
March 2006
www.bordercounties.org
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
La Paz Agreement
Definition of Border – 100 km – 60 miles
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Issues Associated with Access to Health
Care Along the U.S. - Mexico Border Region
 Lack of knowledge on how to access services;
 Language and cultural barriers;
 Cost of care;
 Need for training and distribution of health care providers;
 Denial of access to services for undocumented (illegal status)
individuals;
 Availability of services;
 Transportation (distance/means of); and
 Limited public health infrastructure.
(UA, RHO Border Vision Fronteriza Initiative, Delphi Study, 1997)
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Photo: National Geography 1997
Close to 13 million inhabitants
Dangerous territory, heavily fortified and certainly the busiest border
400 million legal border north-bound crossings annually (1998)
Terrorism and significant public health threats
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Population Growth Trends
 In the next 8 years the Mexican Border population will
double
 In the next 22 years the U.S. Hispanic Population of the
Border will double
 In the next 43 years the U.S. population all races in the
Border Counties will double
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Commission's History
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1988-1994: Intense border, States, and American
Medical Association advocacy and legislative efforts;
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1994-Commission has its origins in Public Law 103-400.
Authorized the President to enter into an agreement with
Mexico;
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July 2000-Signing of the International Agreement creates
the Commission; and
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November 2000-Commission held its 1st Binational
Meeting.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Mission
“To provide international leadership to
optimize health and quality of life along the
United States - Mexico border.”
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Purpose
 To identify and evaluate current and future health problems
affecting the population in the United States-Mexico border area.
 To encourage and facilitate actions to address these problems.
Goals
 To institutionalize a domestic focus on border health which would
transcend political changes
 To create an effective venue for binational discussion to address
public health issues and problems
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Roles
 Promote social and community participation;
 Act as a catalyst for needed change;
 Act as a policy advocate;
 Increase resources for the border;
 Encourage self-responsibility for health; and
 Institutionalize domestic focus.
 Facilitate Border Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance
Project
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Composition and Structure
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Two nations
Ten border states
44 counties and 80 municipalities
14 pairs of sister cities
Public International Organization
United States and Mexico Sections
26 Commission Members and two sections
U.S. Inter Agency Border Action Team
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Basic Elements of
Border Cooperation
 Identification of a common problem and opportunities
 Recognition that each country is independent
 Trust and respect
 Consensus in decision making
 Equitable allocation of resources
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Outreach Office Roles
Assure that the Commission mission and outreach plans
are carried out at the local and bilateral level;
Promote Healthy Border 2010 Program;
Complement the local State Border Health Office’s
mission by coordinating work plan activities and bilateral
efforts with Commission and local organizations.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Commission Outreach Offices (OROs)
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Healthy Border Program
 Based on U.S. Healthy People 2010
 Grounded in science; build through consensus; and designed to
measure progress
 Focus attention on key health issues
 Improve allocation of health resources
 Coordinate public and private action
 Inspire ownership of objectives through:
 coordinated program activities
 community projects
 living document
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Healthy Border Focus Themes
 Access to Care
 Tuberculosis
 Cancer
 Injury Prevention
 Diabetes
 Maternal, Infant and Child Health
 Environmental Health
 Mental Health
 HIV/AIDS
 Oral Health
 Immunization
 Respiratory Diseases
 Infectious Diseases
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Themes in Development
 Terrorism Preparedness
 Nutrition
 Obesity
 Alcohol, Tobacco, and other drugs
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
United States-Mexico Binational TB
Referral and Case Management Project
 Binational TB Card - a portable
health document
 Insures continuity of care and
completion of treatment
 Coordinates the referral of
patients between health systems
of both countries
 More than 1000 cards have been
distributed
 Medical savings between
$50,000-$250,000 for every
multi-drug resistant case
prevented
For information , please visit
www.borderhealth.org
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Core Recommendations
to Governments
1. Increase and Improve Meaningful Access to
Quality Preventive Care
2. Improve Health Education, Disease Prevention
and Control
3. Improve Health Workforce Development,
Training, Placement and Retention
4. Improve Public Health Infrastructure
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Increase and Improve Meaningful
Access to Quality Preventive Care
 Continue to support the advancement of skills in the public health sector
and promote incentives to encourage private sector providers to meet
the emerging health needs of people along the border by providing
insurance that pays for care in both countries;
 Promote dissemination / replication of existing high quality public /
private health programs throughout the border region through the
expansion of the Commission’s Border Models of Excellence;
 Support the use of binational health cards such as the binational TB and
Immunization cards to facilitate binational transfer of information critical
to prevention and spread of disease and the treatment of health
conditions.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Increase and Improve Meaningful
Access to Quality Preventive Care
United States Specific
 Strengthen the health programs that assist migrants and immigrants that live either
on a temporary basis or permanently in the U.S.; and
 Improve methods that increase access and enrollment of eligible U.S. border
residents in existing health care service plans / systems in both Spanish and
English, and to continue assisting these enrollees to receive necessary medical
attention.
Mexico Specific
 Develop strategies to increase the availability of the Seguro Popular (Popular
Insurance) health insurance program in the border region; and
 Develop programs to address the needs of repatriated Mexican citizens who are in
need of health education / medical care.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Improve Health Education, Disease
Prevention and Control
 Support the Commission in implementing border wide and
binational efforts through its Healthy Border 2010 Program;
 Increase federal programs and resources for schools to teach
health, nutrition and fitness, and encourage healthy lifestyles;
 Support the Commission and the Ten Against TB Strategic Plan
2005 - 2010 to:
Develop a TB outreach initiative to work through existing community-based
outreach programs and promotores in establishing methods to identify cases in
their communities
Identify and screen at least 90 % of TB contacts to active pulmonary TB cases
Expand the Binational Directly Observed Therapy Outreach Initiative
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Improve Health Education, Disease
Prevention and Control
 Encourage private industry through trade and border
conferences and associations to provide financial support for
projects to promote health and prevention of diseases;
 Provide adequate funding for ongoing border specific
surveillance studies to assess / enhance achievement of Healthy
Border 2010 objectives; and
 Advance HIV / AIDS care along the border by supporting projects
such as the Care Act Special Projects of National Significance,
that lead to a more productive care environment for people living
with HIV / AIDS.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Improve Health Workforce Development,
Training, Placement and Retention
 Develop an exchange program to train border and binational
health professionals; and
 Promote health professions among the youth who reside in
the border region and expand the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services’ Health Careers Opportunity
Program.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Improve Public Health Infrastructure
 Support and promote border state / local coordination for the
implementation of a binational vertical public health preparedness strategy
and cross-border sharing of public resources;
 Improve the integration of the Border Infectious Disease Surveillance
(BIDS) and the Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance (EWIDS)
Projects to maximize resources in the border;
 Encourage continuing education binationally for the specific public health
preparedness;
 Expedite binational communication and information exchange for public
health and emergency response purposes;
 Pursue International Organization status; and
 Review USMBHC treaties and agreements.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Early Warning Infectious Disease
Surveillance (EWIDS) Project
 Enhance the infectious disease surveillance capabilities
along the United States-Mexico Border by creating public
health preparedness systems in the six Mexican Border
States that are interoperable with one another and with
those of the four United States Border States.
 A collaboration between the Commission, Mexico
Secretariat of Health, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, and CDC.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Critical Capacities for Public
Health Emergency Preparedness
I. Surveillance and Epidemiologic Capacity
II. Laboratory Capacity – Biologic Agents
III. Surveillance and Epidemiology – Related
communication and information technology
IV. Surveillance and Epidemiology – Related
education and training
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
1st Border Binational
Health Week
October 11 - 17, 2004
To download a copy of the report
please visit:
www.borderhealth.org
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission
Outcomes
 Shared easy to understand health information, prevention and best practices;
 Strengthen community based organizational networks and structures and foster
partnership opportunities in support of HB 2010 program;
 Exercised binational and Departmental collaboration and cooperation in support
of border health improvement; (evidence of collaborative efforts)
 Leveraged financial, technical, organizational support and partnerships; and
 Established benchmark indicators to document outcomes and progress.