'We have to survive': the women filling the gap in Texas borderlands' medical deserts
When Claudia Salazar and her family migrated to San Elizario, Texas, a small city in El Paso county, they settled into a colonia – informal, low-income housing often found in rural parts along the US-Mexico border. Their house was small, but had enough room for her four kids, and before long, it felt like home.
But the remoteness of their new home soon presented problems – Salazar suddenly found herself in a medical desert. The nearest hospital is a 35-minute drive away. Even that is challenging to get to – the community’s mostly farm worker population works 10- to 12-hour days, and often lacks adequate time to travel for medical attention between workdays.
When Claudia Salazar and her family migrated to San Elizario, Texas, a small city in El Paso county, they settled into a colonia – informal, low-income housing often found in rural parts along the US-Mexico border. Their house was small, but had enough room for her four kids, and before long, it felt like home.
But the remoteness of their new home soon presented problems – Salazar suddenly found herself in a medical desert. The nearest hospital is a 35-minute drive away. Even that is challenging to get to – the community’s mostly farm worker population works 10- to 12-hour days, and often lacks adequate time to travel for medical attention between workdays.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/02/medical-deserts-texas-women-healthcare
This is similar to government sponsored programs in Africa and programs in some South American countries. I have advocated for such projects here with little to no success. Brava, mujeres!
