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About Binational Health Week
Over the last decade, Binational Health Week (BHW) has become one of the largest mobilization efforts in the Americas to improve the health and well-being of the underserved Latino population living in the United States and Canada. During BHW, federal and state government agencies, community-based organizations and thousands of volunteers come together annually in the month of October to conduct a weeklong series of health promotion and health education activities that include workshops, insurance referrals, vaccinations and medical screenings.
BHW fosters community solidarity by bringing together existing resources and thousands of volunteers working together for a common goal. The events are coordinated by the collaboration among community and government agencies from the U.S., Mexico and other Latin American countries with the purpose of reaching out to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people, especially those without medical coverage.
BHW main partners include the Secretariats of Health and Foreign Affairs of Mexico, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, as well as the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, the Mexican Social Security Institute, the National Secretariat for Migrants, The California Endowment, the California HealthCare Foundation, the Council of Mexican Federations in North America, and the Health Initiative of the Americas, a program of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health.
Binational Health Week 2012
This year, the twelfth BHW will take place October 1-14, 2012 in at least 40 U.S. states and 3 Canadian provinces, with the participation of the consular networks of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. Additionally, during BHW seven national campaigns will be implemented to promote awareness among the underserved Latino community: Access to Health Care and Health Care Reform, Women’s Health, Mental Health, Adolescent’s Health, Infectious Diseases, Chronic Diseases, and Occupational Health. The inaugural event and Policy Forum on Migration and Health will be held on the first week of October in Mexico (exact date and location to be confirmed).
Binational Health Week Overview
BHW 2011 POSTER
Forum 2011 Report
BHW 2011 Final Report
BHW 2010 Video
Results from Binational Health Week 2011
Last year, the events took place from October 1-16, 2011. An estimated 3,641 activities were held benefiting 499,184 people, not to mention the millions of people who received health information through the press from the over 500 media reviews of the event. The organization of the event involved the participation of 7,500 agencies and 12,905 volunteers, which were led by 150 consulates working together with 178 planning committees. Also, five national campaigns were implemented with the aim of increasing the Latino population’s awareness of: Women’s Health, Mental Health, infectious Diseases, Chronic Disease, Access to Health Care and Health Care Reform. The inaugural event and Policy Forum on Migration and Health took place on October 3-4 in San Antonio, Texas. The closing event took place on October 17 in Tijuana, Mexico.
