La Linea Fronteriza
SPECIAL FEATURE
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For many citizens of Mexico, health care is beyond their means. Treatment of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension is often not possible. In August 2004, Reuters Health Information reported that diabetes is the leading cause of death in Mexico.
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Health care issues affect both sides of the border, and due to tremendous economic disparity, people on the Mexican side are increasingly dependent on U.S. doctors and institutions.
Due to low incomes and little health insurance coverage, hospitals on the U.S. side treat undocumented migrants and indigent residents of border communities for free, creating a serious strain on public resources. In remote areas, Mexican citizens suffering from trauma and severe illness are offered "compassionate entry" to be treated in American medical facilities. Hospitals in small towns like Bisbee, Arizona may not be able to survive the steadily increasing costs.(2)
HOUSTON HOSPITALS
With health care needs on the border growing rapidly, The University of Texas Health Science Center answered a 1988 request by Texas legislature to provide assistance to underserved communities. In a mobile clinic, the U.T. Health Science Center's Texas-Mexico Border Health Service Project serves 3,000 to 4,000 indigent patients per year.
MEDICAL MISSIONS
Medical missions are vital in impoverished communities around the world, and many colonias on Mexico's northern border depend on medical aid from U.S. doctors and their church supporters. Medical missions affiliated with churches of many denominations in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, as well as secular missions, are providing care in the hundreds of colonias in the border region. Christ United Methodist Church in Sugar Land began its medical mission work in Mexico in 2002 with the initiative of Dr. Yong Han. The growing effort of church members, Texas Medical Center professionals, and university student volunteers, is bringing highly dedicated and innovative practices to the communities it serves.
POISON CONTROL
The West Texas Regional Poison Center provides 24-hour bilingual services to a significant portion of the border region, and handles Spanish-language services for the entire state of Texas. In addition to drug overdoses, snakebites, accidental poisonings, and chemical exposures, the poison center addresses issues with prescription medications that are specific to the international border. The national emergency number for poison control is 1-800-222-1222, which will route callers to the nearest center poison.
Sources:
1. University of Texas System, Texas-Mexico Border Health Coordination Office, University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, Texas
2. Time Magazine, "Special Investigation: America's Border," September 20, 2004
Copyright © 2004 by Mark Lacy and Houston Institute for Culture.