Cross-border Collaboration to Assist Individuals with Disabilities: Despite a Border Wall, a Common Goal Unites People

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Burris R. Duncan, MD
University of Arizona

Francisco Trujillo
ARSOBO Projects for Inclusion

William Neubauer, MD
Heidi L. Pottinger, DrPH, MPH, MA
University of Arizona

Keywords

Abstract

An informal needs assessment along the Mexico-United States border resulted in a cross-border organization; Arizona Sonora Border (ARSOBO) Projects for Inclusion, referred to colloquially on both sides of the border as ‘ARSOBO.’ Individuals with disabilities have been trained to construct high-quality, low-cost medical devices they themselves use, for others who need them. Cross-border resources emerged, enabling ARSOBO to grow and approach self-sufficiency.

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References

Aubert-Vasquez, M., Duncan, B., Packard, S., Pottinger, H., Niebla, L., Rodriguez, K., & Trujillo, K. (2017 Nov 40–8). “An innovative program in Nogales, Mexico that enables individuals with a disability to re-integrate back into society”. Poster session presented at the American Public Health Association, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Published
Dec 27, 2019

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 15 No. 4 (2019): Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, Volume 15, Issue 4
Section
Global Perspective on Disability Studies

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Author Biographies

Burris R. Duncan, MD, University of Arizona

Burris R. Duncan, MD, has been on the faculty of three different pediatric departments; the University of Colorado (10 years), the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte in Natal, Brazil (3 years), and the University of Arizona (30 years). During his tenure at Colorado and Arizona he taught medical students and pediatric residents and had a panel of patients with chronic conditions that he personally followed and was on call for after clinic hours. Most of these patients were special needs children with complicated multi-system problems. He has conducted multiple research projects, most of which developed from individual problems he saw in his patients and where he felt there was not a sufficient readily-available answer in the medical literature. He has more than 60 published articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and 20 chapters in medical textbooks. His international experience extends over the past 30 years and has included clinical work, teaching, research, field work, and administrative responsibilities in more than a dozen different countries. He has worked extensively with the Section on International Child Health with the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a co-founder of ARSOBO.

Francisco Trujillo, ARSOBO Projects for Inclusion

Francisco Trujillo, is a lifetime resident of the border region of Nogales and recently acquired permanent resident status in the U.S. He has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Instituto Tecnologico de Nogales, worked for fifteen years for three US Companies in Mexico under the Maquiladora Program, is a former director of the Nogales Sonora Chamber of Commerce and in the last twenty years has worked with three nonprofit organizations: Borderlinks, ARAN, and (for the last ten years) as co-founder of ARSOBO Projects for Inclusion operating in Nogales, Mexico.

William Neubauer, MD

William Neubauer, MD, is the immediate past chairman of the board of directors for the ARSOBO U.S. entity and a business owner in Tumacacori, Arizona. He has worked extensively to provide free medical clinic and treatment services for various populations, including those in the Arizona-Mexico border region and for rural communities in Bolivia. He is a former commander and chief of surgery for the United States Public Health Service Hospital (1974–76), has performed approximately 25,000 major surgical procedures during his time in private practice as a general surgeon (1976–2004), and has served as chief of general surgery for a number of local hospitals and medical centers. Dr. Neubauer has also served the community through his service on multiple boards for local nonprofit organizations such as the Border Community Alliance, Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, the Health Committee of the Arizona Mexico Commission, and the Boys and Girls Club of Tucson.

Heidi L. Pottinger, DrPH, MPH, MA, University of Arizona

Heidi L. Pottinger, DrPH, MPH, MA, is originally from the U.S.-Mexico border town of Nogales, AZ. Over her career, she has focused extensively on advocacy, education, nonprofit, research, and service efforts. Since 2014, she has worked to help lead a multi-site clinical trial for young children with cerebral palsy, and as a board member for ARSOBO’s U.S. entity and volunteer for the MX entity. She has served in various roles as chair, co-chair, and member of the Integrative Touch for Kids (ITK) research and evaluation committee – ITK supports families whose children have any type of special health or medical need with integrative healing therapies and wellness education – and in 2017, was recognized by the American Public Health Association Disability Section for her work with ITK evaluating their pediatric hospital program. Dr. Pottinger is also founder and executive director of Child Health & Resilience Mastery (CHARM), a Nogales, AZ nonprofit that empowers children and families to strengthen resilience in health-promoting ways. Previously, she was director of clinical research for the Muscular Dystrophy Association national headquarters.