The University of Texas at El Paso and the Consulate General of Mexico in El Paso signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a new partnership aimed to improve the physical and mental health of the El Paso community during a press conference today at the Mexican Consulate.
“The Consulate General of Mexico and The University of Texas at El Paso share a responsibility and common interest to provide health services to the Hispanic and Mexican communities based in the Paso del Norte region,” said UTEP President Diana Natalicio during the press conference.
According to the agreement, UTEP’s College of Health Sciences will take the lead on the Ventanilla de Salud program, a health collaborative established by the Mexican government, to provide health-related resources to the Hispanic and Mexican communities in El Paso. UTEP faculty, staff and students will coordinate with other local health agencies to connect people with appropriate services while providing health screenings and education.
“This is the first time our University has taken a lead role with Ventanilla de Salud,” said Eva Moya, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work at UTEP and project director. “It’s truly a partnership of the faculty, students, the community and the agencies in our region to come together to promote health.”
In addition, the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior gave UTEP an award for $45,000 to help fund the College of Health Sciences’ efforts in hiring support staff dedicated to the Ventanillas de Salud programming, as well as clinical and outreach efforts.
“At the end of the day, we are all going to be healthier as a result of being better informed and having greater access,” Moya said.
Services will include health screenings the second Tuesday of every month at the Mexican Consulate, as well as information about healthy eating and nutrition, sexual health and other health topics.