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Frank CantuDallas, TexasApril 3, 2013

New Mexico State UniversityJeffrey E. and Mary T. Brandon Distinguished Lecture Series on Health Disparities

BORDER HEALTH

Past, Present and Future

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The Past Who got us here?

“Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.”

- Albert Einstein

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Dr. Jeffrey Brandon, Dean New Mexico State UniversityCollege of Health and Social Services

Dr. Brandon co-edited the first book on U.S.-Mexico border health challenges (1997). He was nominated by Governor Gary Johnson in 1998 and appointed by U.S. President William Clinton on December 15, 1999 to serve as an inaugural member of the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission. He was sworn in by DHHS Secretary Donna Shalala on January 20, 2000.

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El Conquistador is the highest award the City of El Paso bestows on a citizen, and Dr. Laurance Nickey has earned the title twice for his accomplishments in private practice and public health.

A pediatrician and a long serving Director of the El Paso City – County Health District, Nickey also developed, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Air Control Board and the Mexican EPA, the first bi-national air monitoring study along the U.S.-Mexico Border and the first such study between any two nations in the world. In addition to numerous awards bestowed upon Dr. Nickey, his laudable accomplishments include polio immunization program in west Texas and southern New Mexico, establishing the El Paso Tuberculosis Control Unit, and legislative advocacy that lead to ensuring newborn babies are covered by insurance from the first day of life.

Laurance Nickey, M.D.“A Doctor with a Border”

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Claude Earl Fox, M.D., M.P.H.Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public HealthUniversity of Miami

Claude Earl Fox, M.D., M.P.H., was appointed as the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration on May 12, 1998. HRSA, with a $8 billion budget, leads the nation's efforts to open access to health care for all Americans, including poor, uninsured and isolated individuals and families, through an array of grants to state and local governments, health care providers and health professions training programs. A true champion of public health, Dr. Fox is the Founding Director of the Florida Public Health Institute.

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Eva M. Moya is a native of the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez U.S. Mexico Borderlands. Eva received her Master of Science degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Her works include service as the Executive Director for the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission and the Senior Program Coordinator for the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Collaborative Outreach Project "Border Vision Fronteriza Initiative" with the University of Arizona. She is presently the Project Co-Director for the Community Access Program of Arizona – CAPAZ.

Eva M. Moya, Ph.D., LMSWU. S. – Mexico Border Health CommissionU. S. Section

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Dr. Lawrence Kline, originally from Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was educated at Temple University and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. After internship and medical residency in the U.S. Public Health Services Hospital in New York, he completed a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of California, San Diego. He is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, and sleep medicine.

Dr. Kline was appointed a member of the U.S. Section, U.S.-México Border Health Commission, in 2003 and serves as the Co-Chair of the Priority Setting Committee, member of the Communication and Outreach Work Group and the Border Health Research Work Group.

Lawrence Kline, D.O., FCCP, FACP, FAASM

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Dr. Sumaya received a Bachelor of Arts degree (1963) with high honors and selection to Phi Beta Kappa from The University of Texas at Austin. His Doctor of Medicine degree (1966) and selection into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society was obtained at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Sumaya was appointed as the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration by President Clinton on February 10, 1984.

Ciro V. Sumaya, M.D.Professor Health Policy & ManagementTexas A&M University

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Dr. Sanchez served as the Director of the Institute for Health Management, Policy and Community Health at The University of Texas School of Public Health prior to joining Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.

He held the title of Texas Commissioner of Health from 2001 to 2006. He led the consolidation of Texas' public health, mental health, and substance abuse agencies into one single agency, DSHS, and in 2005, Dr. Sanchez directed the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity and on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Infection Diseases Board of Scientific counselors during his state health office tenure.  

Eduardo J. Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFPVP and Chief Medical OfficerBlue Cross Blue Shield of Texas

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Andrew W. Nichols, M.D.In memoriam

Everyone that knew Dr. Andrew Nichols will agree with Alison Hughes, MPA, director of the Rural Health Office at Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health as she describes Dr. Nichols in these words:

“Andy was able to combine his medical and public health knowledge with political savvy and persistence to improve health in Arizona, nationally, and at the U. S. – Mexico Border. He spent his life working for justice in health care and generated numerous programs that provide access to high-quality health care for all, particularly in rural and border communities.”

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Dan was the founding Director of the New Mexico Office of Border Health and served in that position for 13 years until he assumed the position of General Manager of the U.S. Section of the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission in 2006, as an employee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Global Affairs. Dan’s dedication and passion are an inspiration and model for us all as we carry on the work of improving access to preventive and primary healthcare services to all residents of the U.S.-Mexico Border Region.

Col. Daniel Marks ReynaGeneral ManagerU.S. – Mexico Border Health CommissionIn memoriam

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The PresentPublic Health Conditions

“It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required.“

- Sir Winston Churchill

Poverty Conditions38% fall below 200% of poverty

Unemployment rate is 2.5 –

3 times higher than U.S. average

3 of the 5 poorest cities and 4 of the 10 poorest counties in the U.S. are located in this area

37 of 45 counties in immediate border area are HPSAs

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Border Health Issues

Hepatitis A is 4-5 times more prevalent

Waterborne and vaccine-preventable diseases much higher (e.g. shigellosis, measles)

Diabetes rates 2-3 times higher

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If the Border were a separate state, it would rank...

Last in access to health care Second in death rates due to hepatitis

Third in deaths related to diabetes

First in the number of TB cases First in school children living in poverty

Last in per capita income15

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“For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”

- John F. Kennedy

The Future

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The Future of Border Health

• Improved advocacy

• Engaged stakeholders

• Increased federal funding

• Improved philanthropic support

• Improve high school graduation rates

What I see in the future for Border Health:

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Health Provider Recruitment & Retention

• Establish School of Medicine in the Border Region.

• Expand reciprocity requirements for providers.

• Allow providers on the Mexican Side to practice in the U.S. Border Region.

• Expand foreign health professional programs from other countries to practice in the Border Region MUA’s.

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Reimbursement System

Allow the following reimbursements:

• Health Insurance Programs to reimburse for services in Mexico.

• Revise private insurance and Medicare/Medicare rules to allow reimbursement for services in Mexico.

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Frank CantuDallas, TexasApril 3, 2013

New Mexico State UniversityJeffrey E. and Mary T. Brandon Distinguished Lecture Series on Health Disparities

BORDER HEALTH

Past, Present and Future