Health issues transcend geographic boundaries. Dealing with disease and promoting healthy living in the border region requires line-crossing partnerships. SEAHEC works to enhance the well-being of people living in Arizona’s US-Mexico border region by collaborating with communities and health and social service agencies to enhance service efficiency and effectiveness. We do this through Border Binational Health Initiatives and cross-border networking.
The Arizona Border Communities Health Network
SEAHEC collaborates with partners on both sides of the Arizona/Sonora Mexico border to improve access to health care and health education. The Arizona Border Communities (ABC) Network, is an effort to promote collaboration, coordination and communication between the Binational Health Council’s in each of Arizona and Sonora’s “sister cities” locations, including Ambos Nogales, Douglas/Agua Prieta and Yuma/San Luis. Binational Health Councils (known in Spanish as “Cobinas” are recognized by each respective State and supported through the US Mexico Border Health Commission.
The Binational Council of Ambos Nogales
The Nogales Cobina meets bi-monthly and SEAHEC hosts the meetings when they are in Arizona. The Centro de Salud, Nogales, Sonora, hosts the meetings when they are in Sonora. Member health agencies share resources, promote binational educational events and promote healthy living in our shared border region. For a schedule of meetings and a list of member agencies, please contact Lupita Gonzales at lupita@seahec.org
Ventanilla de Salud
On January 31, 2020, a binational-interprofessional team of four SEAHEC interns worked with the Mexican Consulate (Douglas) to bring the Mexican Ventanilla de Salud Program to Pearce-Sunsites. Ventanilla de Salud is part of the Mexican Consulate’s Juntos por la Salud program aimed at Mexican nationals living in the US. The program provides health education, screenings and referrals as well as legal and financial resources. Services are offered at consulate offices and related public health events, but Mobile Health Units (MHU) expand services across the U. S. While the majority of MHUs are run by Juntos por la Salud, the University of Arizona College of Public Health operates MHUs out of Tucson and Phoenix.
Hosted by the Pierce-Sunsites Fire District, the first of the SEAHEC/Mexican Consulate Health Events for 2020 brought the UA Primary Prevention Mobile Health Unit into rural Cochise County. The Mobile Health Unit is managed through a partnership between the University of Arizona (UA) College of Public health and the Mexican Consulate.
The expansion of crucial public health services into rural southeast Arizona will serve Cochise, Graham and Greenlee Counties. SEAHEC interns train with Juntos por la Salud staff to enable them to provide Ventanilla de Salud services, formerly only available in urban areas or at Mexican Consulate offices. Available health screenings focus on helping people manage a healthy weight and prevent or control diabetes. Tests include Blood pressure, Height/Weight, BMI, Cholesterol, Glucose levels and A1C, (a common blood test used to diagnose type 1 and type 2 diabetes and to monitor how well diabetes management is working Source: Mayo Clinic). Also joining the effort will be the University of Arizona Cáncer Resource Center, which will provide cancer prevention information. Health education topics include colon cancer, skin cancer, and breast cancer.