Latinos are the fastest growing immigrant group in Oregon, and Mexicans represent the majority of that group. Many are undocumented, from rural areas in Mexico, monolingual in a native dialect (e.g., Mixtec) or bilingual in Spanish and a dialect. Young families constitute a large portion of the Latino community in Oregon. Typically, ties with families in Mexico are maintained, with frequent communication and travel between the two countries. These demographics raise several health-related issues: Mexican immigrants to Oregon are often confronted with a bewildering, inaccessible health care system and may not receive needed care. Health care providers in Oregon are not well-prepared to serve Mexican immigrants, nor to understand the health implications of life in rural Mexico. When immigrants return to Mexico and seek health care services, Mexican health care workers may not understand the nature of the care given in Oregon or necessary or expected follow-up. The Oregon-Mexico Health Professional Exchange program seeks to increase mutual understanding between health professionals from both countries about health care issues faced by people of Mexican origin living in Oregon. The ultimate goal is to improve health services offered to Mexican immigrants and the health status of the immigrant population. The project organizes exchange visits of health professionals for two weeks each summer; one summer in Mexico, the next in Oregon. Visitors live with host families, and participate in structured observations of health and social services as well as one-to-one mentoring with colleagues in the professionals' clinical specialty.
Learning Objectives: 1. Explain how patterns of travel between Mexico and Oregon affect health status of immigrants. 2. Discuss significance of mutual understanding between Mexican and Oregon health professionals about health issues of immigrants. 3. Identify mechanisms to foster health professionals exchange and mutual understanding
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