School of Medicine

Both medical students and faculty recognized the need for accessible health care among marginalized populations in the Zona Norte, and in 2011, a bi-national student-run free clinic was established in the heart of Tijuana’s red-light district (Ojeda et al., 2013). The clinic known as HFiT, or Health Frontiers in Tijuana, partners with Tijuana’s Autonomous University of Baja California School of Medicine (UABC) and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. HFiT is equipped to provide medication, basic laboratory tests, and social services to patients living in poverty. Despite the clinic’s success in providing continuity care for more than 600 patients in 2012, the HFiT clinical faculty and student leadership recognized the need for a vulnerable women’s health clinic. An HFiT survey conducted between May and December 2012, found that of the 211 female patients, 12% stated they required obstetrical or gynecological care. Apart from HIV and syphilis diagnostic testing, the HFiT clinic currently lacks the supplies to perform other sexually transmitted infection testing, pap smears, endometrial biopsies, or provide contraception. Furthermore, increasing HIV prevalence among female sex workers (FSWs) in Tijuana emphasizes the need for interventions dedicated to the education and prevention of HIV transmission. In a study of 924 FSWs, nearly one third of all questions on HIV transmission and prevention mechanisms were answered incorrectly (Robertson, Ojeda et al., 2012). Therefore educating and refuting common HIV misconceptions among FSWs demonstrates a potentially powerful intervention method for HIV prevention. The HFiT clinic has provided the physical space for a women’s clinic. This includes a private exam room and an exam table. Our plan of action is geared towards formally establishing a Women’s Clinic that will address the needs of our vulnerable patient population and will sustain long-term contribution to the clinic. The three main areas we will target include: (1) community outreach, (2) acquisition of cost effective supplies, and (3) development of a women’s health curriculum. The Arnold Gold Summer Service Fellowship funded this project.