San Diego Mexico’s migrant health crisis hurts cross-border business.
The call to volunteer her time as a physician down at the border is simple for Dr. Julie Sierra, but the range of what she deals with is not.
“We’ve seen a lot of upper respiratory infection, rashes, acute injuries, as well as people with chronic diseases,” said Sierra, ‘’but we get everybody their medicine.”
Sierra works at UC San DIego, but for the last month she has been spending her weekends at the various migrant shelters in Tijuana.
“I see these people as our fellow human beings and they need our help,” said Sierra.
She is one of the American doctors with San Diego Border Dreamers helping provide medical aid to migrants and assisting Mexican doctors.
The doctor says they have seen a lot of colds and other illnesses that are typical for this time of year, but nothing that poses a health risk to San Diego.
“Whenever you have a large group of people in a confined space with limited access to sanitation you have the potential for multiple different diseases spread,” said Sierra, “so we’re hoping that we can contain any problems that might have arisen.”
