ABSTRACT
Binational initiatives in the areas of environmental health and sanitation are clearly needed. Further cooperation between the United States and Mexico in health services delivery is warranted and will probably require enhanced federal funding or subsidies to be successful. The Hispanic population of the United States is increasingly from Mexico and Central America. A correlate of the rapid population growth in Mexico and Central America and in the Mexican-origin population in the United States has been increased recognition for the importance of the border between the United States and Mexico. Fertility rates in Mexico, which historically have been very high, also declined as a result of the General Population Law of 1974 aimed at managing Mexican population. Policy formation and implementation on the US-Mexico border with regard to health issues depends on national decisions and initiatives in each country as well as upon informal professional networks and initiatives at the local level.
