Physician Leaders Headed To Washington To Raise Awareness of Border Health

• WHAT:  Physician leaders from along the U.S.-Mexico border and San Antonio head to Washington, D.C., next week, to discuss the dire health care needs along the U.S.-Mexico border. Physicians representing the Texas Medical Association (TMA) and TMA’s Border Health Caucus (BHC) are meeting one-on-one with U.S. representatives and senators to encourage them to take action to stop the Medicare meltdown. In addition, physician leaders will host the Fifth Annual Border Health Conference to raise awareness of health care disparities existing along the border and it affects on border patients and their physicians. These include:

• Strengthening the border’s public health infrastructure,
• Preventing chronic disease, and
• Improving patients’ access to a physician by shoring up the health care workforce; and fixing Medicare so it can better serve the patients who depend on it for care.

See agenda for Fifth Annual Border Health Conference attached below.

• WHEN: Tuesday, June 22: One-on-one congressional meetings
Wednesday, June 23, 9 am-2 pm: Fifth Annual Border Health Conference

• WHERE: North Congressional Meeting Room, Capitol Visitors Center, Washington, D.C. 

• WHO:  TMA/BHC physician members moderating and participating in the panel discussions at the Fifth Annual Border Health Conference are listed below.

• Manuel Acosta, MD: El Paso surgeon, BHC chair, and TMA Council on Legislation member
• E. Linda Villarreal, MD: Edinburg internist, TMA Council on Legislation member, Texas Delegation to the American Medical Association (AMA) delegate, and TMA Political Action Committee (TEXPAC) district chair
• Luis Benavides, MD: Laredo family physician, TEXPAC member, TMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws member, and TMA Council on Legislation member
• John J. Nava, MD: San Antonio family physician, TMA Council on Health Promotion member, and TEXPAC district chair
• Hector Gonzalez, MD, MPH: City of Laredo Health Department health director
• J. Manuel de la Rosa, MD: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine founding dean, and U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission Member – Texas
• Leonel Vela, MD, MPH: The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Regional Academic Health Center regional dean

Other TMA/BHC physicians speaking on Capitol Hill on behalf of Texas’ border patients:

Fort Worth
• Susan R. Bailey, MD: Allergist and TMA president

El Paso
• Andres Enriquez, MD: Family physician and El Paso County Medical Society (EPCMS) president
• David Palafox, MD: Family physician and TMA Committee on Physician Distribution and Health Care Access member
• Luis Urrea II, MD: Orthopedic surgeon, EPCMS past-president, and TMA Council on Legislation member
• Jaime Flores Neder, MD: Juarez Medical Society (Juarez, Mexico) former president
• Gilbert Handal, MD: Infectious disease specialist and TMA Committee on Child and Adolescent Health member

Eagle Pass
• David Land, DO: OB-Gyn and Maverick County Medical Society past-president

Edinburg
•  Javier Cardenas, MD: OB-Gyn and Hidalgo-Starr County Medical Society president

Harlingen
• Victor Gonzales MD: Ophthalmologist

McAllen
• Chevy Lee, MD: Ophthalmologist, Hidalgo-Starr County Medical Society secretary/treasurer, and TEXPAC district chair
• James Stewart, MD: Internist, Hidalgo-Starr County Medical Society president, and TMA Council on Health Promotion member

Brownsville
• Thomas Jennings, MD: Ophthalmologist

Fifth Annual Border Health Conference Agenda
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
North Congressional Meeting Room, Capitol Visitors Center

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Welcome

• Dr. Manny Acosta, Chairman of the Border Health Caucus, TMA Chair, Congressman Silvestre Reyes (TX)
• U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM)
• Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX)

9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Plenary Comments

• Nils Daulaire, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Office of Global Health Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Teresa Niño, Director, Office of External Affairs and Beneficiary Services, Center For Medicare and Medicaid

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Panel 1 – Public health along the U.S.-Mexico Border
Moderator:  Luis Benavides, M.D.

• Maria Teresa Cerqueira, M.S., Ph.D., Chief of the U.S.-Mexico Border Office, Pan American Health Organization
• Hector Gonzalez, M.D., M.P.H., Health Director, City of Laredo Health Department
• Lawrence Kline, D.O. FCCP, FACP, FAASM, Medical Director, Scripps Clinic Sleep Center, and U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission Member – California
• Elmo Lopez, Jr., CEO, Doctors Hospital of Laredo
• Cecilia Rosales, M.D., M.S., Associate Professor, University of Arizona, and U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission Member – Arizona
• Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., Health Officer, San Diego County Department of Health

11:15 – 12:15 p.m. Panel 2 – Prevention of chronic conditions
Moderator: John Nava, M.D.

• Myrna Deckert, President and CEO, Paso del Norte Health Foundation Ed Martinez, CEO, San Ysidro Health Center
• David McQueen, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Director for Global Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease
• Emma Torres, M.S.W., Executive Director, Campesinos Sin Froneteras, and U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission Member – Arizona
• Francisco Ramos Gomez, D.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., Professor, Section of Pediatric Dentistry, UCLA

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Panel 3 – Health care workforce and the impact on access to health care
Moderator:  Linda Villarreal, M.D.

• Special Remarks by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (TX)
• J. Manuel de la Rosa, M.D., Founding Dean, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, and U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission Member – Texas
• Sam Howarth, Ph.D., Director, Office of Policy and Multicultural Health,
• New Mexico Department of Health
• Don McBeath, Director of Advocacy, Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals
• Jaime Flores Neder, M.D., Former President of the Juarez Medical Society F. Sam Notzon, Ph.D., Director, International Statistics program, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Leonel Vela, M.D., M.P.H., Regional Dean, Regional Academic Health Center, U.T. Health Science Center – San Antonio

1:30 – 2:00 p.m. Closing remarks: Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (TX)

• Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H., Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Dr. Manny Acosta, Chairman of the Border Health Caucus, TMA

Contact:  Pam Udall (512) 370-1382; cell: (512) 413-6807; e-mail: pam.udall@texmed.org
               Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; e-mail: brent.annear@texmed.org