Running head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 1

Border Health Issues Annotated Bibliography

Joseph Bencomo

University of Texas at El Paso

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 2

References

Atkinson, A. (1994). NAFTA, public health, and environmental issues in border states. Natural

Resources & Environment, (1), 23. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.40924116&site=eds

-live&scope=site

Border Health Consortium of Californias. (2014). About BHCC. Retrieved

from http://borderhealthconsortium.org/en/about-us

Brown, S. A., Garcia, A. A., Kouzekanani, K., & Hanis, C. L. (2002). Culturally competent diabetes

self-management education for mexican americans. Starr County Border Health Initiative, 25(2)

Carter, D. E., Pena, C., Varady, R., & Suk, W. A. (1996). Environmental health and hazardous

waste issues related to the U.S.-mexico border.. Environ Health Perspect, 6, 590-594.

The journal article displays environmental effects affecting the border between the US

and Mexico, however the primary focus is on one major border health issue, lack of data.

The article explores health impacts caused by environmental influence such as “high

instances of… cancer and lupus in a neighborhood in Nogales, Arizona” (p. 593) as well

as “a general concern that the border region is seriously contaminated with hazardous

waste chemicals”. The major problem concerning these issues is that there is a general

lack of data from the area. In order to address these issues, “accurate and effective

information that helps determine what type of intervention or prevention actions are

necessary” needs to be conducted and organized. A section of the journal article is based
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 3

on the environmental effects (which go hand in hand with health effects) that have taken

place in the borderland by NAFTA. The journal article also states that the main issue

affecting the borderland is a lack of data, however another source would extend that.

NAFTA, Public Health, and Environmental Issues in Border States by Amanda Atkinson

claims that “Officials at the state level are barely beginning to learn of the many effects

NAFTA is likely to have upon public health and environmental issues in the border

state”. Solutions can only be made when the problem is known. Without knowing the

problem (data), the borderland, even El Paso, may fall into further issues that could have

been prevented.

Cecilia, B. R., eCarvajal, S., & Jill Eileen Guernsey, D. Z. (2016). Editorial: Emergent public health

issues in the US-mexico border region. Frontiers in Public Health, Vol 4

(2016), 10.3389/fpubh.2016.00093/full; 10.3389/fpubh.2016.00093 Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.084ff66506624ef1a

d93f1b14c3fec8d&site=eds-live&scope=site

Homedes, N., & Ugalde, A. (2003). Globalization and health at the united States–Mexico

border. Am J Public Health,

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 4

José Luis Manzanares, R. (2017). “Does the border matter for health care? A study of medical

services provider’s location at cities in the Mexican side of the border.” Estudios

Fronterizos, Vol 18, Iss 36, Pp 151-168 (2017), (36), 151. doi:10.21670/ref.2017.36.a07

In the article, Rivera provides data to support the view of the border as a complement

rather as barrier. As well, the author provides evidence to demonstrate to his audience the

evolving health care in sectors in Mexican cities proximate to the US border. Rivera’s

thesis that there are medical services along the Mexican border was extremely useful

because it shed insight on the difficult problem of border health issues. The method of

Empirical Bayesian Kriging (p. 157) impacted my claim because this method gave me a

unique perspective on viewing border health issues. In the section Methods paragraph six

Rivera states “This approach is a geostatistical interpolation method that allows creating a

continuous surface based on the geographic location of each establishment in the data

set.”, which provided the data set to prove to his audience that he has logos to back up his

claim and method. Seid, et. al, claims that the majority of the Hispanic border population

will travel to Mexico for health care with factors including insurance and familiarity.

With evolving health care sectors in Mexican cities claimed by Rivera and the majority of

border Hispanics using Mexican health care, the overall community health should

improve.

Rabagliati, H., Robertson, A., & Carmel, D. (2018). The importance of awareness for understanding

language. Journal of Experimental Psychology.General, 147(2), 190-208. 10.1037/xge0000348 [doi]

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 5

Ramos, I. M., May, M., & Ramos, K. S. (2001). Environmental health training of promotoras in

colonias along the Texas–Mexico border. American Journal of Public Health, 91(4), 568-570.

Rodríguez-Saldaña, J. (2005). “Challenges and opportunities in border health.” Preventing

Chronic Disease, 2(1), A03.

Joel Rodríguez-Saldaña claimed that the principal health problems at the U.S.-Mexico

border are characterized by disparities in health systems (2004). The author states that the

disparities that officials should be focused on are lower health standards and

socioeconomic issues. Warner and Jahnke (2003) support the claim of socioeconomic

issues as many uninsured citizens do not have a choice, but to go to Mexico for medical

support and culturally many still choose to travel over the border for health care. Despite

support, there is no mention of lower health standards.

Seid, M., Castaneda, D., Miza, R., Zivkovik, M., & Varni, J. (2003). Crossing the border for health care: Access

and primary care characteristics for young children of latino farm workers along the US-mexico border. Ambulatory

Pediatrics, 3(3)

The authors intent of Crossing the Border for Health Care: Access and Primary Care

Characteristics for Young Children of Latino Farm Workers along the US-Mexico Border

was to examine and compare the availability of medical care to children of latino farm

workers. The article, however, gives readers a deeper understanding when comparing

medical care options between the US and Mexico. In order to research the issue, the

author surveyed close to 300 parents from Head Start (a government program that

provides education opportunities, health, and parental involvement programs low-income

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 6

families) in San Diego and Imperial counties. The results of the research found that most

medical care was used in Mexico; a few reasons being “cost, accessibility, and

perception”. Uninsured children were found to receive medical care in Mexico, however

even insured children were seen to be using Mexican medical care more than the US

options. Rivera (2017) claims that border crossings city present clusters of activity for

medical care usage; the author concludes that “a binational integration mechanism.. [for]

trans-border healthcare needs” (abstract). The evidence provided by Rivera backs up the

claim of the author by providing a Empirical Bayesian Kriging and an analyzation further

supporting the authors claim.

Warner, D. C., & Jahnke, L. R. (April 2003). U.S./Mexico border health issues: The texas rio

grande valley. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio: Regional

Center for Health Workforce Studies.

The authors claim that despite rapid growth caused by NAFTA (North American Free

Trade Agreement) and programs established to improve community health, access-to-

care has not improved. The authors attribute poor access to health to poverty to a “lack of

insurance, limited infrastructures, lack of providers and of a culturally sensitive health

care delivery system” (p. vii) and use logos by providing tables and figures (pp. iii-v) to

further bolster their claim. To add to the claim that there access-to-care has not improved,

Atkinson (p. 60) suggests that in order to “maximize the opportunity to protect local

health and the environment in the border states” legislation and “regulatory oversight” are

the answer.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 7