Key findings from Binational Health Week 2006: Social mobilization to improve the health of Mexican and Central American immigrants

Binational Health Week (BHW) is one of the largest mobilization efforts in the Americas to improve the health and well being of the underserved Latino population living in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. BHW aims to raise awareness of and respond to the multifaceted healthcare challenges facing Latino immigrants through health promotion, education and treatment services, and policy promotion. The California-Mexico Health Initiative, of the University of California Office of the President, facilitates BHW.

A mixed-methods evaluation was conducted to identify the outcomes of BHW and gain insight into Latino immigrants' health seeking behaviors and access to care. In 2006, 300,000 people participated in more than 1,000 activities in 31 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and 3 Canadian provinces. This large-scale effort to reach Mexicans and Central Americans involved policymakers from the US, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, as well as 5,000 volunteers and 3,000 agencies.

In addition to programmatic data, nearly 1,000 participant surveys were collected from nine states in the U.S. These surveys reveal that 25% of participants received healthcare for the first time at BHW events, and 40% had no health insurance. Additional data analyzed includes main reasons for seeking care, barriers to care, usual source of care, country of care, health concerns, and perceptions of health status.

This presentation will describe the findings from BHW, including the successes and challenges of this health promotion model, a portrait of the population served, and key data that will inform programs and policies to increase Latino immigrants' access to care.