Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HCR171 Compare Versions

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1	1	81R22559 BPG-D
2	2	By: Guillen H.C.R. No. 171
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5	5	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, The United States-Mexico border is the busiest
7	7	international border in the world, with more than a million legal
8	8	northbound crossings each day; this continual movement and a rapid
9	9	expansion in population are placing unique pressures on the public
10	10	health care system in the border region; and
11	11	WHEREAS, In Texas, local public health entities in small
12	12	border communities confront a disproportionate number of serious
13	13	issues; the American Medical Association has characterized the
14	14	border area as a fertile ground for the development of infectious
15	15	diseases such as hepatitis; rates of hepatitis A there are three
16	16	times higher than in the rest of the United States, and in some
17	17	2,300 colonias, the rates of salmonella and shigella infection are
18	18	four times higher than elsewhere in the nation; and
19	19	WHEREAS, The fluidity of the large and diverse migrant
20	20	population increases the incidence of such communicable diseases as
21	21	HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis; moreover, approximately nine percent of
22	22	TB cases in border areas involve strains resistant to at least one
23	23	of the initial treatments; local public health care providers must
24	24	function as the nation's first line of defense against infectious
25	25	diseases, which also include multidrug-resistant infections and
26	26	such vector-borne diseases as dengue fever and West Nile virus; and
27	27	WHEREAS, Environmental hazards related to air and water
28	28	pollution and the use of pesticides are likewise of great concern,
29	29	as is inadequate protection of the food supply; more than a third of
30	30	families in the border region have incomes below the federal
31	31	poverty level, and the border counties struggle with a high
32	32	incidence of such serious chronic illnesses as diabetes and
33	33	hypertension, as well as respiratory and gastrointestinal
34	34	ailments; a large percentage of the population lacks health
35	35	insurance, and access to health care is further limited by the
36	36	dearth of facilities and shortage of medical professionals; most
37	37	border communities have been designated as Health Professions
38	38	Shortage Areas and Medically Underserved Areas; and
39	39	WHEREAS, Public health initiatives and agencies in the border
40	40	region suffer from chronic underfunding due to federal formulas
41	41	based on raw population numbers rather than need or strategic
42	42	importance in such realms as emerging disease control; although
43	43	area public health professionals have responded quickly to recent
44	44	threats, the continued effectiveness of the public health care
45	45	system requires greater financial support for detection,
46	46	laboratory testing, isolation, quarantine, and infection control;
47	47	because biological and medical hazards do not respect political
48	48	boundaries, it is also essential to upgrade communications
49	49	equipment and services for the rapid exchange of information
50	50	between communities in the United States and Mexico; and
51	51	WHEREAS, The disparity between public health needs and
52	52	resources has reached a critical stage along the Texas-Mexico
53	53	border; in order to address severe deficiencies in a comprehensive
54	54	and targeted manner, a United States Department of Health and Human
55	55	Services region should be established for the border counties,
56	56	ensuring an appropriate level of dedicated funding; the sustained
57	57	and efficient allocation of federal resources would support local
58	58	entities in their efforts to improve the health of the community and
59	59	allow area professionals to perform effectively in roles that are
60	60	vital to protecting the public and preventing the spread of disease
61	61	not just along the border, but throughout Texas and the rest of the
62	62	nation; now, therefore, be it
63	63	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
64	64	hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to direct the
65	65	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a public
66	66	health region for the counties along the Texas-Mexico border and to
67	67	dedicate an appropriate level of funding to meet the public health
68	68	challenges particular to border communities; and, be it further
69	69	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
70	70	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
71	71	the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
72	72	senate of the United States Congress, to the secretary of the U.S.
73	73	Department of Health and Human Services, and to all the members of
74	74	the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this
75	75	resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
76	76	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.