A Collaborative Health Promotion and Awareness Program in Pre-natal Screening on the Border, between Mexico and the U.S.

AMOUNT: $4,000 US

PROJECT LEADERS: Nora Balderas, Ernesto Moya

INSTITUTIONS: El Paso Community College and Clinic of Dr. Ernesto Moya

This binational health screening and prevention project was the collaborating result of El Paso Community College faculty and a private physician in Ciudad Juarez concerned about high teenage pregnancy rate and the many expecting mothers lacking the appropriate pre-natal care, resulting in a prevalence of neural tube defects, premature delivered babies, low birth weights, and lack of breastfeeding practices. Hence, this project targeted, referred, screened and educated Hispanic women of childbearing age and lower socioeconomic background, in the Ciudad Juarez – El Paso border area, as well as raised their awareness about the importance of maternal and child health, prenatal screening in order to reduce the chances of neural tube defects and premature delivery. The most important benefit of this project for the El Paso and Juarez area was a significant decrease in pre and peri-natal diseases. This was accomplished by making a critical screening process available to those who would otherwise not have access to this service. Survey questionnaire information served as an assessment tool to determine other existing medical history and demographic data to put this group in perspective of health.