WESLACO – Senator Eddie Lucio introduced a new bill to establish a task force that will address Rio Grande Valley health issues like the Zika virus.

Cameron County Health Administrator Esmeralda Guajardo said other health administrators from Brownsville to El Paso are included in the proposal.

State appointees would also be considered for the task force. Their involvement would make it easier to access state funds and resources to fight disease and viruses.  

“Working a public health threat along the border is not like other places in the United States. There’s two countries handling a threat in two different ways,” she said. “The socio-economic status here also does not allow for some of the individuals to seek the medical treatment immediately. All this combined poses a lot of problems, a lot of concerns for health directors working along the border.”

Senate Bill 1680 also calls for the implementation of a short-term and long-term response for health related emergencies along the border.

Cameron County health officials are set to testify at the state capital in support of the bill on Wednesday.