Texas Physicians Head to Washington to Advocate for Patients

Texas physicians are heading to our nation’s capital this week to meet with federal legislators and government officials at the 9th Annual Border Health Conference. The purpose of the conference is to address the health care needs and challenges along the U.S.-Mexico border. Chief among the concerns are the thousands of Central American immigrant children and their families streaming into southern border states. Texas physicians say this humanitarian crisis highlights the need for comprehensive care along the border. Other issues the conference will address include ensuring U.S. veterans receive timely care, Medicare’s broken physician payment formula and its impact on seniors and Texans with disabilities, and the need for a strong public health infrastructure.

The following physicians are headed to the U.S. capital to advocate for patients:

Austin King, MD, Abilene – President, Texas Medical Association
Manuel Acosta, MD, El Paso – Chair, Border Health Caucus
Juan Escobar, MD, El Paso – President, El Paso County Medical Society
Richard McCallum, MD, El Paso – Professor of Medicine and Founding Chair, Department of Internal Medicine, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso
Luis Benavides, MD, Laredo – Vice Chair, Border Health Caucus
Yasmin Maldonado, MD, Brownsville – President, Cameron Willacy County Medical Society
Gilbert Handal, MD, El Paso – Vice Chair, Medical Advisory Committee, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Linda Villarreal, MD, Edinburg – Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees

The Border Health Conference is sponsored by the Texas Medical Association’s Border Health Caucus (BHC). The BHC’s mission is to ensure access to care for patients along the border.