News

Somerton, AZ (October 23, 2025) .- Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. is collaborating with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and developed a plan with collaborators from the Binational Health and Environment Council of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora/ Yuma County, AZ (COBINAS), to implement an air quality monitoring project named Pocket Labs.

The main purpose of this educational program is to teach students and teachers at High Schools from Arizona and at Preparatorias from Sonora and the border community to learn the benefits of good air quality in our region.

“We are excited about this binational collaboration on the Pocket Labs educational program, which provides students with a hands-on opportunity to learn about and understand how their actions can impact air quality and their health,” said Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Air Quality Division Director Daniel Czecholinski.

PPEP Tech High School Cesar Chavez Learning Center in San Luis, Arizona is participating in the Pocket Lab with 10 teams of 4 students each and will have the equipment demo by ADEQ for Monday, October 27, 2025, from 9:00am to 10:00am.

PPEP Tech High School Principal Ms. Monica Berumen said Ms. Melissa Montanez, PPEP Tech High School Sciences Teacher, will in charge of the program.

Students and teachers will learn about associations between air quality and poor health, including higher incidence of chronic diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. It is anticipated that these efforts will increase student knowledge of environmental quality and create opportunities to better inform local community residents how to use air quality information to avoid excessive risk.

Media is welcome to attend the session.

PPEP Tech High School Cesar Chavez Learning Center is located at 850 North San Luis Plaza Drive, in San Luis, Arizona.

Media Contact:

Alex Bejarano, Director of Public Relations, abejarano@rcfbh.org or 928-315-7910

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