Enact legislation that protects and appropriates adequate and equitable funding to support core public health infrastructure for disease control and prevention to safeguard the border, Texas and the rest of the nation. Every year public health resources have remained at level or reduced for core public health services, especially for Tuberculosis Control, surveillance and early detection.

Laredo, like other border communities has, developed models of excellence and best practices in several of its core public health services, and only in this manner has it been able to protect against serious diseases such as Tuberculosis, Dengue Fever, Hepatitis A, Diarrhea and Typhoid which at one time plagued our community. Laredo continues to be measured by national standards, yet for Laredo, a binational community that grows two fold by day, it is essential to be viewed for its reality of growth and international significance especially as it relates to security and public health protection. In addition, by reducing morbidity Laredo is now being penalized for funding yet it is these same prevention and early detection strategies that are in jeopardy because if they are not funded adequately, we will become vulnerable to disease and potential outbreaks.

However, with the continued growth, especially after the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), commerce and border crossings have increased and Laredo has had to bear the responsibility and challenge of meeting increased and new social, economic, and health care needs of an ever growing bi-national community that is already burdened with an inadequate social and public health infrastructure. The bi-national threat of vector borne and other infectious diseases remains imminent (especially Tuberculosis, Hepatitis A, B and C in adults, rabies and vector control) and pose a serious concern. In addition, the nature of being a border community warrants cooperation for disease control because diseases do not respect borders. When Nuevo Laredo, Mexico our sister city coughs, Laredo gets the cold, and vice versa. This is why we consider ourselves “Los Dos Laredos”.

To meet these challenges, the City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) has continued its public health responsibilities in core public health, in preventive health care delivery, and in meeting new public health challenges such as chronic disease prevention and bioterrorism preparedness. Through its entrepreneurship vision, its resiliency to create and propose solutions to develop and enhance partnerships, and finally, through a strong health education and outreach strategy we have made a positive impact on public health. Infrastructure support to continue core public health services in disease control, surveillance, health promotion and preparedness remains a pillar in improving the quality of life in Laredo and must be safeguarded with adequate resources, especially for best practices and models of excellence.