BHC Initiatives

Public and private organizations from both sides of the border have worked for several decades to address the most pressing health issues of the border region. This interest led the United States Congress to pass legislation in 1994 authorizing and encouraging the President to conclude an agreement with México establishing the United States-México Border Health Commission. Negotiations with México were completed in the year 2000. In the same year, México authorized a binational health commission, and both countries appointed their commission members.

Years of binational collaboration have demonstrated that, in order to be effective, the Border Health Commission must include participation from the federal, state, and local levels in both nations. Thus the Commission was designed to combine public and private capabilities and resources from all of these levels. To this end, the Commission includes representatives of both federal governments, the 6 Mexican and 4 U.S. border states, and border communities and constituencies.

Numerous special groups or commissions have studied the health problems of the border region over the years, yet the border has never enjoyed an effective and sustainable mechanism for advocacy and consensus building on health issues. The binational nature of the Border Health Commission recognizes that the health problems of the region require a binational approach. Strong national support for the Commission from both countries, as well as the multilevel dimension of the Commission, will help to ensure that it becomes an effective and long-lasting advocate for border health issues.

Under the implementing legislation approved by both governments, the Border Health Commission was assigned several specific goals. Through the Healthy Border Program, the Commission will accomplish the two most important goals, which are: