Health Care Reform from the Mouths of Teenagers

As told by Brittany Schier and Dallas Walter

Schier and Walter found that counties with a higher percentage of Hispanics tend to have larger uninsured populations.

Schier and Walter found that counties with a higher percentage of Hispanics tend to have larger uninsured populations.

Instead of hitting the mall or chillin’ by the pool with their friends this summer, high school seniors Brittany Schier and Dallas Walter spent six weeks in Community Scholars Inc., conducting intense research on El Paso’s health care system.

Community Scholars Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides research internships to promising El Paso high school students who are economically disadvantaged.

Schier and Walter’s research topic? El Paso’s physician shortage. The team analyzed El Paso’s health care infrastructure and health-related legislation. As a result, El Paso now has a region-specific report that could help local educators and state legislators improve health care on the U.S./Mexico border.

Recommendations from the second-year Community Scholars interns included the state legislature recognizing El Paso as an urban county and maintaining tort reform. Schier and Walter also suggested the federal government lax the caps on residencies and that border health care professionals should emphasize preventative care.

The scholars utilized government databases, conducted interviews with local officials and incorporated a multitude of sources to draw analyses. Schier and Walter interviewed Manuel Schydlower, M.D., dean of admissions for the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, the director of the City of El Paso Department of Public Health, the University of Texas at El Paso School of Nursing dean, the executive director and president of the El Paso County Medical Society, senior program officers of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and physician recruiters from Hospital Corporation of America and Tenet Healthcare.

Schier and Walter’s complete report will be available this fall on the Community Scholars website.

Related Stories

TTUHSC School of Nursing to Celebrate New YWCA Location

Community members in central Lubbock now have access to health care services and prenatal programs at one location inside the YWCA.

A Rite of Passage for Next Generation of Physicians

Students in TTUHSC's School of Medicine Class of 2028 received their first white coat and pledged their commitment to the medical profession at the White Coat Ceremony Friday (July 26) at the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

As spring approaches, some people’s thoughts turn to gardening. Whether it’s a flower garden they desire or a vegetable garden want to have, they begin planning what they’ll plant and what they need to do to ensure a successful garden.

Recent Stories

Research

German Joins TTUHSC’s Growing List of Senior Members for National Academy of Inventors

Nadia German, Ph.D., director of the Medicinal Chemistry program at the TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, has been named to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) 2025 class of Senior Members.

Research

ASCO GU Symposium Announces New Findings on Tumor Reduction and Survival Outcomes in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

Thomas E. Hutson, D.O., Pharm.D., Ph.D., chief of the Hematology Oncology Division in the Department of Internal Medicine at TTUHSC and director of the UMC Cancer Center, shared groundbreaking findings from the landmark CLEAR study.

Education

Guest Named Abilene Regional Dean of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing

Heather Guest, Ph.D., R.N., has been named the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing regional dean in Abilene. TTUHSC School of Nursing Dean Holly Wei, Ph.D., R.N., made the announcement, effective Jan. 1, 2025.