DHSS Press Release |
Date: October 7, 2004 DHSS-102-2004 |
| Vincent P. Meconi, Secretary Allison Taylor Levine, Communication Director (302) 255-9037, Pager (302) 247-8523 |
Contact: Heidi Truschel-Light Phone: (302) 744-4907 Pager: (302) 247-1560 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DPH DIRECTOR TO ATTEND INAUGURAL CEREMONIES OF BINATIONAL HEALTH WEEK
Jaime H. Rivera, MD, FAAP, director of Delaware Health and Social Services'Division of Public Health (DPH), has accepted Mexican President Vicente Fox's invitation to attend inaugural ceremonies for Binational Health Week and a policy forum on migration and health in Leo'n, Guanajuato, Mexico. Dr. Rivera will attend the Oct. 10-12 event at the expense of the Mexican government.
The fourth annual Binational Health Week seeks to elevate migrant and immigrant issues as a policy priority in the United States and Mexico, and to raise public awareness of migrant and immigrant health by states with high international mobility. In the United States, Binational Health Week is sponsored by the Health Commission of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission, and the California-Mexico Health Initiative (CHMI). CHMI's mission is to improve the health of Hispanics of Mexican descent who live in the United States by increasing access to health services, expanding health insurance coverage, and reducing health disparities for migrant and immigrant workers and their families.
"I'm honored to be invited to this important event, especially in light of the rapid increase of Delaware's Hispanic," Dr. Rivera said. "Between 1990 and 2000, Sussex County saw a 240 percent increase in its Hispanic population. It is important for us to understand the health care needs of our state's migrant and immigrant populations."
Dr. Rivera expects to have discussions with President Fox and other officials and is prepared to highlight DPH's tuberculosis program as a model for providing care at worksites.
Dr. Rivera will attend an Oct. 10 reception and a ceremony featuring remarks by President Fox and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mexico Secretary of Health Julio Frenk, and Guanajuato Governor Juan Carlos Romero Hicks. President Fox and First Lady Martha Sahagu'n de Fox also will launch a vaccination program.
Dr. Rivera hopes to gain a better understanding of how Delaware can collaborate for better health across state and international borders. He will attend sessions entitled "Cultural politics surrounding migrant health care in the USA" and "The Migration Phenomenon."
Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.
