The Commission was authorized by legislation Bingaman wrote and Congress passed in 1994 and will focus on the identification, evaluation and resolution of health problems affecting the border region's population.

 President Clinton today appointed two New Mexicans, Dr. Jeffrey Brandon of Las Cruces and Dr. Catherine Torres of Albuquerque to the Commission.  They will be joined by J. Alex Valdez, Secretary of the New Mexico State Department of Health who was automatically appointed to the Commission as the state's top health official.

 I'm pleased this Commission is becoming a reality and the members have now all been appointed by the President.  I'm particularly pleased with the appointment of Dr. Brandon and Dr. Torres who will do an outstanding job representing our state and its concerns," Bingaman said.

 "Now that the Commission is in place, members can roll up their sleeves and get to work on the very important task of improving public health in the border region," Bingaman said.

 Dr. Jeffrey Brandon is the Associate Dean of the College of Health and Social Services at New Mexico State University.  Previously, he was Department Head for Health Science at the College and served on the faculty of the University of New Orleans-Lakefront.  Dr. Brandon is highly involved in professional associations, university committees, and local public service.  Dr. Brandon reveived his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

 Dr. Catherine Torres is a pediatrician for the first Step Pediatric Center at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  After completing two years of a surgical residency at the College of Medicine-Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she decided to pursue a medical career in pediatrics.  At St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, she completed her pediatric residency in 1995.  Dr. Torres is also a part of medical mobile unit team that delivers indigent health care to the rural areas of Las Cruces, which happen to be along the U.S./Mexican border.  In 1985, she received her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and received her medical degree in 1990 from the University of new Mexico.

 Bingaman pushed for the creation of the Commission, winning support from the Clinton Administration and Congress.  He has also helped secure $1.8 million during the past two fiscal years and an additional $1.5 million in next year's budget to fund the Commission's goals.  Commissioners from the U.S. and Mexico will work together to design and coordinate programs to improve health, water resources, sewage treatment, vector control and air quality along the border.

 When the 13 appointments to the Commission were not made as quickly as he desired, Bingaman wrote an amendment to the fiscal year 2000 Omnibus Spending bell that forced the President to make all appointments by year's end.

 "I look forward to the Board's first meeting next year and to progress it will make toward better public health," Bingaman concluded.

Mexico has not yet named Commissioners, but the other U.S. Commissioners are:

Hon. Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Ms. Amanda Aguirre of Yuma, Arizona
Dr. Carlos Rene Gonzales of Patagonia, Arizona
Dr. Rosemarie Marshall Johnson of San Diego, California
Dr. Lawrence N. Nickey of El Paso, Texas
Mr. Blair Sadler of New York, New York
Dr. Paul Villas of Edinburgh, Texas
William Reynolds Archer, of Texas
Diana M. Bonta, of California
James L. Schamadan, of Arizona