Vision:
A healthy Texas-Mexico border
Mission:
To improve health and well-being along the Texas-Mexico border
Background
In the past few decades, considerable attention has been directed to the Texas-Mexico border region. Like most of Texas, its high population growth and public health and environmental concerns remain in full force.
Office of Border Public Health Mandate
In 1991, the 72nd Texas Legislature enacted Health and Safety Code, Sub-chapter 12, § 12.071, that stipulates that “The department shall establish and maintain an office to coordinate and promote health issues between this state and Mexico.” Note all four U.S. border state public health departments (i.e., Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico) established border health offices.
Goals:
- Build sustainable partnerships with key border and binational organizations at federal, state, and local levels to promote communication, coordination and collaboration.
- Heighten awareness of border issues to facilitate public health funding and coordination along our border.
- Improve access to develop and strengthen the use of border data to identify priorities, trends, and emerging public health issues.
- Improve border public health outcomes by targeting culturally competent, outcome-based outreach, educational and training opportunities.
- Develop strategies to measure and enhance program effectiveness to enhance public health services to border communities.
- Identify effective intervention models that will increase the impact of border public health services.