On August 23^rd in Laredo, TX, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) hosted the 8^th Annual Border Health Conference in collaboration with the Border Health Caucus/Texas Medical Association.  Previously hosted in Washington, DC, this is the first time the conference was held in Texas and on the border. 

“Communities along the border face a unique set of challenges in providing healthcare to their citizens,” said Congressman Cuellar. “The 32 counties that lie along our border with Mexico have among the highest levels of poverty, lack of insurance, diabetes, and obesity in the United States. At the same time, these communities are among the most underserved in the nation with one of the lowest rates of physicians per capita. If we can successfully find a way to address this disparity between needs and resources for our cities along the border, it will be a model for all underserved communities across our nation.” 

Featured L-R: City of Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas, Vice Chairman of the Border Health Caucus Luis Benavides, M.D., Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Hilda Davila, General Director of International Relations, Mexico Health Secretariat - Mexico, D.F.

"Congressman Henry Cuellar has given his adult life to public service and we are blessed in Laredo to have him represent us in Washington, D.C. He and his staff have worked with the doctors and leaders of the Border Health Caucus and the Texas Medical Association to bring a very important message to the state and the entire nation. It is a process...but we have been working the process for a long time...and strides have been made but there are so many more challenges in front of us. We urge all in health care to be a part of this event and learn, share and participate. It is going to be important for all of us," said Luis Benavides, M.D. of Laredo, Vice Chairman of the Border Health Caucus.

"The Border of Mexico and Texas is unique and as aptly been described as a Country unto itself.  Although we are proud Texans and Americans...our challenges are different but similar to West Texas, East Texas, and urban Texas...meaning that we attend to the poorest of the poor in Texas and the United States.  But our challenge is often that we deal with patients from a different culture who often speak only Spanish.  What happens along the Border will soon be happening all over the state," said Manuel Acosta, M.D. Chairman of the Border Health Caucus, sponsor of the Conference.

Congressman Henry Cuellar addressing attendees of the 8th Annual Border Health Caucus in Laredo, Texas

The Conference featured the following speakers:

• Congressman Henry Cuellar, US Representative for Texas’s 28^th Congressional District
• Hilda Davila, General Director of International Relations, Mexico Health Secretariat - Mexico, D.F.
• Alfredo Rodriguez Trujillo, Director of Epidemiology, Tamaulipas State Health Services
• Hector Gonzales, MD, Director, City of Laredo Health Department
• Jose Luis Velasco, M.S.W., Executive Director, U.S. Section of the USMexico Border Health Commission
• Dr. Jeremias Guzman, Institute for Mexican Abroad, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Federal Government - Mexico, D.F.
• Hector Gonzales, MD, Director, City of Laredo Health Department
• Al Almanza, USDA Food Safety Inspection Service Administrator
• Humberto Garza, District Staff for Congressman Filemon Vela, US Representative for Texas’s 34th Congressional District
• Robert Harris, Commander, US Customs and Border Protection
• Video message from Congressman Michael Burgess (TX-26)
• Joe Ibarra, Latino Engagement at Enroll America of Texas
• Chris Traylor, Chief Deputy Commissioner, Texas Health and Human Services Commission