Dar a Luz: a perinatal care program for Hispanic women on the U.S.-Mexico border.

In Arizona, undocumented pregnant Hispanic women without private care have no recourse but to enter an emergency room after labor begins. A survey we conducted showed over 150 such "emergency" births annually in Tucson. As a result, a prenatal care program, "Dar a Luz," specifically targeted at this population, was developed. It includes prenatal obstetrical care and anticipatory birthing education that is sensitive to Mexican-American traditions, community consciousness-raising, and a cooperative obstetrical agreement with Tucson hospitals. Bilingual community volunteers act as patient advocates, following these patients through pregnancy and accompanying them to emergency rooms for hospital deliveries. Based in an Hispanic neighborhood community center, professional and lay volunteers provide health care coordinated by medical students in the paracurricular Commitment to Underserved People Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Health precautions for travelers to Mexico.

After Canada, Mexico is the most popular destination for Americans traveling outside the United States. As a developing country, Mexico presents numerous health hazards to American visitors, including the prevalent travelers' diarrhea (turista), from which 40% will suffer, and the less common typhoid, dengue, rabies, malaria, taeniasis, cysticercosis, and trichinosis. Environmental hazards, including sun, heat, high altitude, motion sickness, and accidents, also threaten the unwary traveler. In the event of illness or injury, Americans may find medical facilities unfamiliar and less well equipped than those in the United States. Utilizing both an individualized risk assessment for each traveler and readily available references, physicians, in partnership with local public health agencies, can develop comprehensive preventive health plans for their patients traveling to Mexico.