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Establishing a Binational Student-Run Free-Clinic in Tijuana, Mexico: A Model for US–Mexico Border States

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In 2011, a bi-national student-run free clinic for the underserved, known as “Health Frontiers in Tijuana” (HFiT), was created in Tijuana, Mexico. Students and faculty from one Mexican and one US medical school staff the clinic and attend patients on Saturdays. Students from both medical schools enroll in a didactic course during the quarter/semester that they attend the free clinic. The course addresses clinical, ethical, cultural, population-specific issues and the structure, financing and delivery of medical care in Mexico. The clinic implements an electronic medical record and is developing telemedicine for consulting on complex cases. Despite challenges related to sustaining adequate funding, this program may be replicated in other border communities.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to our collaborators Dr. Manuel Gallardo, Mr. Luis Alberto Segovia and Dr. Mario Lam for their tireless support of the clinic and commitment to improving the health and well-being of Tijuana’s most vulnerable and underserved populations. The authors acknowledge support from the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse K01DA025504 (Ojeda), the University of California GloCal Health Fellowship (Ojeda), the National Institute of Mental Health K01MH095680 (Burgos) and R25TW007500 (Strathdee), T32 DA023356 (Strathdee), and 1R25TW009343 (Strathdee), the US Agency for International Development grant # D43TW008633 (Goodman), the UCSD Academic Senate Grant (Chen), and the UCSD Center for AIDS Research (NIAID 5 P30 AI 036214).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, Institute of the Americas, San Diego School of Medicine, University of California, 10111 N. Torrey Pines Road, Mail Code 0507, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Victoria D. Ojeda, Amy Eppstein, Steffanie A. Strathdee, David Goodman & Jose L. Burgos

  2. PrevenCasa, Ave. Baja California 7580, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico

    Remedios Lozada

  3. Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Campus Tijuana, Calzada Universidad 14418, Parque Industrial Internacional, C.P. 22390, Tijuana, BC, Mexico

    Adriana C. Vargas-Ojeda

Authors
  1. Victoria D. Ojeda
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  2. Amy Eppstein
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  3. Remedios Lozada
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  4. Adriana C. Vargas-Ojeda
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  5. Steffanie A. Strathdee
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  6. David Goodman
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  7. Jose L. Burgos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victoria D. Ojeda.

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Ojeda, V.D., Eppstein, A., Lozada, R. et al. Establishing a Binational Student-Run Free-Clinic in Tijuana, Mexico: A Model for US–Mexico Border States. J Immigrant Minority Health 16, 546–548 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9769-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9769-1

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