U.S. Mexico Border Health

The United States-México Border Health Commission (BHC) was established in July of 2000 due to the need for an international commission to address border health problems. The mission of the BHC is to provide international leadership to optimize health and quality of life along the U.S.-México border. The border is approximately 2,000 miles long. It includes four U.S. states (Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas) and six Mexican states (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas). The BHC has the unique opportunity to bring together the two countries and its border states to address border health problems. The BHC provides leadership to help guide México and the United States in taking action together to improve the health of all border residents.

The border between the United States and México in some places is marked by a river. In other areas, it is merely a line in the sands of the desert. On a normal day, millions of trade items cross the border, north and south. More than 800,000 people cross legally every day. Thousands more find illegal ways to enter the United States. Those who do find their way may risk their lives to rattlesnakes, scorpions, and blistering heat or extreme cold. The north has attracted millions of residents from the interior of México and other Latin American countries. The border region has swelled past its economic limits and resources. The economic burden on the two countries is staggering. Much of the border is poor and health resources are scarce. This rapid population growth is putting further pressure on a medical care infrastructure that is already inadequate. This further decreases access to health care.

The border is a very poor area, and disease increases this burden. The large, diverse migrant population has increased rates of some communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. It also suffers higher rates of some chronic illnesses such as diabetes, certain cancers, and hypertension. In addition, the problems and concerns affecting the border region have broad repercussions for both nations. Travelers, migrants and immigrants, who are crossing the border every day, are taking their health problems with them to other parts of the United States and México. The BHC provides a sustainable process for addressing and improving the health of the populations living along the border.

Activities currently being undertaken by the BHC include:

• Healthy Border 2010: An initiative focusing on health promotion and disease prevention along the U.S.-México Border. The BHC is now working to close out Healthy Border 2010 and launch the next phase of work called Healthy Border 2020.
• The BHC is participating in the recently established Federal Workgroup for the Promotores de Salud Initiative. The HHS Office of Minority Health leads this initiative. The initiative established a National Steering Committee for Promotores de Salud and has 15 members throughout the United States. The Steering Committee will work with the Federal Workgroup to provide leadership and guidance in the development and implementation of this initiative, which is focused on Latino/Hispanic populations. The first meeting of the National Steering Committee and Federal Workgroup was in April 2011 in Washington, D.C.

To learn more about the work of the Commission, visit the BHC website .