The continued call for U.S. Mexico Border health resources remains disproportionate and the need to adequately address public health, emerging disease control and prevention services is increasing. Establishing a Federally Designated U.S. Mexico Border Region with dedicated funds for health services – creating a Region 11 – would more adequately address Laredo’s current needs.

Over 45% of the population is school age, making Laredo one of the youngest communities. Being young and having a high birth rate only increases the need for quality and adequate health care. To meet this need, both infrastructure and human resources are needed; yet, most border communities – especially Laredo – remain designated as Health Professions Shortage Areas (HPSA) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUA) for primary care physicians, nurses, dentists and mental health providers. Unfortunately, a constant reduction – almost 20% over the last two years – and/or level funding, especially for Title V and Primary Care services, is a reality. So far, Laredo has one of the lowest neonatal mortality rates in the nation and the highest age appropriate immunization rate in the nation – 100% for children under three years of age – because Laredo has a resilient spirit to create and resolve. However, Laredo continues to be designated for funding based on standard formulas and level funding. What this means for communities like Laredo is that cities are really penalized for innovation and creativity. The City is measured against everyone on the same standard, but with fewer resources. Time and again, Laredo has been measured by national standards, yet for Laredo, a binational community that grows two fold by day, it is essential to be viewed for its evident growth and the international significance of that growth, especially, as it relates to security and public health protection. Today, Laredo, like other border communities, has developed models of excellence and best practices in several core public health services and only in this manner has the City been able to protect against serious diseases, such as tuberculosis, dengue fever, Hepatitis A, diarrhea and typhoid, which at one time, plagued the community.

However, with the continued growth, commerce and border crossings have increased in Laredo. The City has had to bear the responsibility and challenge of meeting new health care needs of an ever-growing bi-national community that is already burdened with an inadequate social and public health infrastructure. The bi-national threat of vector borne and other infectious diseases are also imminent and a serious concern that warrants cooperation disease control, because disease does not respect borders. When Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Laredo’s sister city across the river, coughs, Laredo gets the cold and vice versa. That is why this area is known as Los Dos Laredos.

 

To meet these challenges, the City of Laredo’s Health Department (CLHD) has continued its public health responsibilities in core public health, in preventive health care service delivery, and in meeting the new public health challenges, such as chronic disease prevention and bioterrorism preparedness. The CLHD continued its entrepreneurship vision and its resiliency to create and propose solutions, and to develop and enhance partnerships. A strong health education and outreach strategy using Promotoras (lay health workers) and innovative programs, such as the Buena Vida (BV) outreach, have made a positive impact on public health. Over the last 10 years, BV has touched the lives of over 40,000 persons for high-risk screening (diabetes, high blood pressure), provided health and nutrition counseling, as well as medical care, referrals and exercise programs, such as aerobics. The City has made a commitment towards a healthy city by planning smarter and healthier. The CLHD has played an important role in assuring that families not only understand these services but also, that families understand how to access, use the health care system and how to improve their health outcomes.

Allow for best practices developed in Laredo and other border communities to be adopted and financed since they are proven prevention strategies that will keep families healthy and reduce the cost of acute care. To support this effort, direct funding to the border, as its own region would potentially pose a more equitable formula to support the current and continued disparities. For Laredo/Webb County, provide adequate funding based on local needs tied directly to the border, not on formulas. A potential solution is creating both a state and federal designated United States Mexico Border Region that has dedicated funding for the border, instead of having funds directed to the current regional office structure, which are the Federal Region VI and State Region 11 for Laredo.

None, but would promote better and more efficient funding allocation and consequently promote prevention which would save dollars. Allow for best practices developed in Laredo and other border communities to be adopted and financed since they are proven prevention strategies that will keep families healthy and reduce the cost of acute care. This is critical to border health and will ensure more equitable and appropriate funding.

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)