The US-Mexico border provides a rich learning environment for professional social workers and at the same time poses some challenges. This article explores some of the unique demographics and social and cultural characteristics in the border region. These characteristics have implications for social work teaching, research, policy and practice. The study of borders includes exploring social disparities and inequalities. Health risks and diseases travel fluidly between borders and kill indiscriminately. The US-Mexico border is at high-risk of elevated tuberculosis (TB) and HIV incidence due to socio-economic stress, rapid and dynamic population growth, mobility and migration, and the hybridization of cultures. Every minute, four people die from TB, and 15 more become infected worldwide. The number of deaths due to tuberculosis is unacceptable given that most cases of TB are preventable. Cross-border cooperation and collaboration among social workers, health professionals and public officials between communities and countries can reduce social injustices to move towards a healthier borderland, as demonstrated in the collaborative prevention of TB. Rather than limiting our work to define social inequalities, we seek to further the conversation and suggest social action to address TB. This article contributes ideas and examples of experiences to encourage innovative, community-academic engaged inter- and multidisciplinary interventions like the Nuestra Casa (Our House) initiative. Nuestra Casa is an advocacy, communication and social mobilization strategy to address TB and HIV health disparities and inequalities in underserved communities, which we argue provides a useful model for combating TB and other inequalities plaguing the US-Mexico borderland.
Keywords: U.S.-Mexico border; health disparities; social work; tuberculosis.