http://nctimes.com/articles/2006/06/..._286_27_06.txt

Foundation call for cross-border health care reform

By: North County Times wire services -

SAN DIEGO - A foundation involved in border-area health issues issued a report today that described regional health care as "dismal" and called for a binational summit to address health issues.

"Public health risks in the San Diego-Baja California border region demand urgent attention," said Richard Kiy, the president of the International Community Foundation.

The report, titled "Shared Destiny: Shaping a Binational Agenda for Health Priorities in the San Diego-Baja California Border Region," also recommended that American retirees living in Mexico be given access to services paid for by Medicare, the expansion of cross-border health services and increased funding for prevention programs.


"Today, healthcare in the region is in such disarray, and health conditions are so dismal for so many people, that even a willingness to spend more money on health could be counterproductive unless the cross-border community engages in an examination of common priorities and strategies," the report said.

Kiy asked for a summit of private, public and organizational leaders to work on what he called "otherwise unresolvable" health care challenges.

According to the report, rates for tuberculosis and HIV are rising, as well the possibility of bioterrorism or food contamination.