The US-Mexico border has been a humanitarian health crisis for years now. The Border Humanitarian Health Initiative (BHHI) is a partnership of academic and public health institutions that UCSF and local partners launched in 2020 to address longstanding inhumane conditions that migrants face at the US-Mexico border. Shortly after its establishment, the COVID-19 pandemic added to the humanitarian and health burden facing these migrants.
In response, UCSF and the University of California, San Diego conducted a survey to assess the impact of the pandemic on the health and well-being of migrants in Tijuana. We found that migrants in Tijuana had an almost two-fold risk of being infected with SARS-Cov-2. They also suffered heavily from the economic and social challenges of the pandemic and had limited access to health care when in need. Their crowded living conditions also increased their risk of being exposed to multiple COVID strains at once, which can lead to new variants. In addition, their mental health was affected, especially among those who were forced to return to Mexico after crossing into the US.
HHRI has been proud to partner with BHHI to provide clinical training to the front line health workers and clinicians providing psychosocial, mental health and pediatric care to migrants.
Want to learn more about the work of BHHI? To help create an actionable, evidence-based agenda that will guide its work, BHHI commissioned seven white papers which give great insight to the varied health crises the region faces.
