The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69115

James N Burdine, Dr PH¹, Craig H. Blakely, PhD, MPH², Alicia Dorsey, PhD³, Michael R.J. Felix⁴, Isidore Flores, PhD¹, Kenneth R. McLeroy, PhD³, Ann Millard, PhD³, Katherine I. Miller, PhD⁵, and Miguel A. Zuniga, MD, DrPH². (1) Community Health Development Program, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University, 1103 University Drive, Suite 100, College Station, TX 77840, 979-862-4244, jnburdine@srph.tamu.edu, (2) Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M University School of Rural Public Health, 3000 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 300, Bryan, TX 77802, (3) Department of Social & Behavioral Health, School of Rural Public Health, 3000 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 310, College Station, TX 77802, (4) Community Health Development Specialists, 3027 Walburt Ave, Allentown, PA 18104, (5) Department of Communication, Texas A&M University, MS 4234, College Station, TX 77842-4234

The presence of a multi-year, multi-million dollar project targeting improving access to care and health status of residents of colonias in Hidalgo County, along the Texas/Mexico border has had intended and unintended consequences. In particular, two “collateral” initiatives have developed that have the potential to substantially impact the larger health system and the populations of residents of both sides of the border in that region. A regional health status assessment is being conducted in Hidalgo and Starr counties in Texas, and the geographically contiguous region of the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico. This assessment was born out of the interest preliminary data from the IHOS project and the resulting elevated awareness among community leaders of the need for/potential of efforts to improve health status and access to care. The assessment consists of an examination of secondary data for both counties and the health district in Mexico, a series of community discussion groups with providers, consumers and community leaders on both sides of the order, and a random sample household survey of Hildago and Starr Counties (n=1259). This project also precipitated an effort to examine the extent to which residents of both sides of the border seek care across the border. Preliminary data suggest at least 60% of US-side respondents seek medical or dental care in Mexico periodically. This project is being designed as a multi-year, multi-phased effort to first document utilization patterns, then identify characteristics that influence those patterns with the objective of developing and testing a bi-national integrated health care delivery system.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:
• Describe the South Texas Health Assessment ;
• Describe the Bi-national health services utilization study;
• Discuss how these collateral projects developed from the original initiative

Keywords: Access to Care, Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.