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-Editorial
The Ventanilla de Salud program has a new fiscal agent in Imperial Valley as the Consulate of Mexico signed an agreement with a respected medical group that will support this initiative.
Starting July 27, a new alliance for Ventanilla de Salud will operate between the Consulate of Mexico in Calexico and Vo Medical Center.
Ventanilla de Salud is a program of the Government of Mexico that is more than 20 years old. Through it, the Mexican consulates in the United States and Canada provide basic health services and information to the community regarding how to navigate the health system in the United States.
At each Consulate, an alliance with a local agency is required. The consulate in Calexico previously had an alliance with ECRMC, but for financial reasons, the hospital had to terminate it. Now the Consulate has approached Vo Medical Center to have a strong partner for our Ventanilla de Salud program. Previously, the now-defunct Calexico Chamber of Commerce and Pioneers Memorial Hospital District served as fiscal agents of Ventanilla De Salud.
“We are thrilled to partner with Ventanillas de Salud to help our Hispanic population to settle in Imperial County with ease. People are nervous when they cross the border and do not know what to expect from the foreign country especially when encounter medical problems,” Vo said. “It’s expensive here in the United States if we talk about healthcare; therefore, Vo Medical Center will make it possible for all Hispanic populations to save money and ensure they are taken care of and improve their quality of life. We will help any patients that come to our office to make sure their health is better and safer and continue to improve without compromising due to the high costs. Our relationship with Mexico will benefit from our patient’s care and continue to help our neighbor to be in a better place to live.”
The Mexican Consul in Calexico, Tarcisio Navarrete Montes de Oca, welcomed Dr. Vo as their partner and said the community will benefit because of this.
“We are delighted to partner up with Dr. Vo and his team so we can reach more people through Ventanilla De Salud so people can receive the services they need,” Navarrete said during the ceremony.
The Ventanilla de Salud (VDS) strategy seeks to facilitate the access of Mexican immigrants to primary and preventive health services, as well as to promote a culture of prevention among Mexicans and their families in the United States. This is done through quality information, education, counseling, and referrals in a safe and friendly environment, through local and binational collaborations to improve their quality of life.
In 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) implemented the Ventanilla de Salud (VDS) model in the consulates of San Diego and Los Angeles. The VDS are modules installed in the waiting rooms of the Mexican Consulates in the USA. In collaboration with more than eight health agencies, the first pilot phase of this strategy was completed in 2004, funded by The California Endowment. Starting in 2005, the SRE, through the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME), began coordinating and promoting this strategy, implementing various operational policies aimed at guaranteeing the provision of VDS services and evaluating their results.
The constant need for basic health services by our compatriots in the US has led to the operation of two Ventanillas de Salud in New York and Detroit, resulting in a total of 51 Ventanillas de Salud in 49 Mexican Consulates in the US.
