Essay Example on Health Issues in the United States-Mexico Border

Introduction

The US-Mexican border has been a controversial topic for years. The bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico has had an immense impact on the economic, social, environmental, and health status of residents in the border region. President Donald Trump of the United States placed strict measures on the US-Mexican border that tends to affect those living in the border region adversely. In participation of the US-Mexican border affairs, President Donald Trump is known for building a wall to limit access and resources available in the United States. This initiative has had a high impact on the lives of the residents at the US-Mexico border. While there exist various issues that are present at the US-Mexico border, the health status of the residents at the border region is among the most critical factors that demand more attention.

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Health Care Issues

Lack of Insurance

The majority of the residents at the US-Mexico border either cannot afford private health insurance or are not enrolled in government-sponsored programs that provide insurance plans (Lady, Smith & Kunz, 2017). The residents also work in small businesses that are less likely to have any health insurance coverage. Also, despite the border residents' high participation in the workforce, they are less likely to get employer-sponsored coverage (United States-Mexico Border Health Commission [BHC], 2014). The varieties of insurance coverage are influenced by the difference in the workforce, provision of charity care, public insurance eligibility, and the availability of employer-sponsored coverage (BHC, 2014).

Access to Health Care

Residents living at the US-Mexico border face various barriers to accessing health care. Lack of transportation and financial issues also present barriers to health care services and therefore lead to poor health among individuals. Cultural differences, language barriers, health literacy, and distrust of the medical system belonging to the U.S. government are barriers to access to healthcare (Lady et al., 2017).

The political affairs between the U.S. government and the Mexican government have led to fears and stress, thereby leading to avoidance of health systems by residents living in the border region. Immigration laws also create a barrier to health care for residents at the border, as they feel exposed and therefore avoid seeking medical attention. Despite efforts by the University of Texas to set up medical schools along the border, services in the rural border regions still lack, due to difficulty encountered in recruiting staff and dwindling resources.

Many residents living in the border region only receive medical attention during emergencies. They do not receive continuity of health care services, and therefore the health system does not focus on long term health maintenance. The lack of continuous healthcare also makes it difficult to track health, control chronic diseases, and provide screenings.

Sanitation

The residents of the border region live in communities known as colonias, which lack access to electricity and sewage systems. One of the most critical concerns is the lack of water treatment systems as sewage can accumulate in pools during rainfall and pose a health hazard to its residents. Limited water supply causes residents at the border to fetch water from wells or buy water, which comes from unknown sources, thereby increasing the chances of health hazards. Unpaved roads at the border generate dust that tends to cause respiratory problems for the residents as well as contaminating their water sources. Border towns often experience issues with funding and budget shortfalls. The lack of clean water and sewage systems are enormous contributors to poor health, leading to residences having higher incidences of cholera, hepatitis, and dysentery.

Workforce shortage

Although there exists no accurate data to capture the number of health care practitioners available at the border, there exists a great distance between the providers of health care services and the facilities available. The health care workforce in the border region is not able to keep up with the fast-growing population and the health care needs of the residents.

Factors That Have Led to Health Issues

Poverty and Unemployment

The social and economic conditions at the border adversely affect the health of the residents. The residents live in poverty and are often low paid workers without any health insurance. The average poverty rate along the US-Mexican border region is 28.3 % as compared to the national average of 14.3 %, thereby making the poverty rate along the region twice as much as the national average (Lady et al., 2017).

The unemployment rate along the border region is also higher than the national rate (BHC, 2014). The means to pay and access healthcare services, therefore, becomes a significant barrier. Lady et al., (2017) assert that the high rates of poverty accompanied by poor infrastructure have a substantial impact on the health disparities among the US-Mexican border population. The type of income and employment are causes for the high numbers of uninsurance rates along the border. The low economic status of the residents at the border region limits them from achieving optimal health.

High Rates of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases

The border region experiences high rates of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Communicable diseases around the border region tend to be higher than the national average (Lady et al., 2017). HIV/AIDS rates also continue to increase in the US-Mexico border region. Tuberculosis rates are also elevated in the US-Mexico border region (Rosales, Carvajal, & Zapien, 2016). There also exists a higher than average rate of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, accidents, infant mortality, homicide, diabetes, liver disease (Lady et al., 2017). Diabetes and obesity rates are also higher in the US-Mexico border than national averages (BHC, 2014). Residents living with such diseases are unaware of their conditions because they lack access to health care services.

Immigration Policy

To obtain legal residency in the United States, immigrants are required to undergo a medical examination that is supervised by U.S. government officials. The medical examination includes tests for drug use, mental disorders, and communicable diseases. These examinations lead to fear and stress, and therefore residents tend to avoid the health care system.

Cross Border Traffic

The US-Mexico border is the busiest and most traveled in the world (Lady et al., 2017). The attendance to daily work and movement at the border region presents a platform for the transmission of communicable diseases. Therefore, the daily activities at the US-Mexico border increase the chances of altering the health status of the residents.

Cultural Issues

Cultural differences create a barrier of having access to specific resources in the US-Mexican border region. Some residents tend to opt for self-treatment or seeking alternative means other than the medical system. The use of alternative treatment is thus relatively high in the border region. Seeking an alternative makes it difficult to track the use of medicine among individuals.

Opportunities

The US-Mexico border region can participate in the National Health Service Corps, which is usually designed to motivate and incentivize health care providers to work in these areas in exchange for loan repayments and scholarships (Lady et al., 2017). To meet the health care needs of the residents in the border region, it is vital to establish a workforce that provides linguistically and culturally health services, such as recruiting more Spanish speaking providers.

Community health workers, telemedicine, health technology, and mobile clinics are instruments that can be used to mitigate issues involved with access to care for the border residents. There should also be increased capabilities and means for data collection and health surveillance. Academic institutions, community health centers, and community health workers can be used to create awareness and improve health literacy. The health centers can also provide affordable healthcare services to the community. Increased investment in the health systems of the border can also be of significant impact in eradicating health issues of the residents.

Conclusion

The US-Mexican border region is characterized by high levels of unemployment, poverty, and lack of insurance, all of which contribute adversely to the health of the residents. The colonias live in rural areas that lack various amenities such as water, electricity, and sewage systems. Health disparities in the border region cost the society in terms of health care needs, productivity, and increased mortality.

There should be improved access to health care services at the US-Mexico border to better the lives of the residents residing in the region. States in the border region need to strengthen their health systems and improve the integration of healthcare. They also need to provide access to data so that it can be used to evaluate and make decisions that may help the community.

References

Lady, B., Henning-Smith, C., & Kunz, S. (2017). Addressing Health and Health Care Needs in the United States-Mexico Border Region: Executive Summary. National Rural Health Association Policy Brief. Retrieved from https://www.ruralhealthweb.org/NRHA/media/Emerge_NRHA/Advocacy/Policy%20documents/05-11-18-NRHA-Policy-Border-Health.pdf

Rosales, C. B., Carvajal, S. C., & Zapien, J. E. G. D. (2016). Emergent Public Health Issues in the US-Mexico Border Region. Lausanne: Frontiers Media. Retrieved from https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/director/border-health/frontiers-emergent-public-health-issues.pdf

United States-Mexico Border Health Commission. (2014). Access to Health Care in the US-Mexico Border Region: Challenges and Opportunities: A white paper. Retrieved from https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/assets/939-3103/access-to-health-care-u.s.-mexico-border.pdf