Background

Since 1981 Tijuana's Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (UABC) School of Medicine has been conducting a series of academic and research field trips to rural regions of Baja California and Sonora. In 1998, the vision of the project expanded as well as the agenda of these trips. The project developed into what is now known as VIIDAI (Viajes Interinstitucional de Integración Docente, Asistencial y de Investigación), an international collaborative public health field project.

Today the goal of the program is to facilitate collaborative projects that integrate faculty and student teams with a variety of specialties in an effort to both promote health and to provide services to underserved populations while increasing cultural awareness. Joining the efforts of Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (UABC) School of Medicine is San Diego State University's (SDSU) School of Public Health and the University of California, San Diego's (UCSD) School of Medicine. During the first four years of the VIIDAI project the fieldwork was centered on migrant camps using both clinical and public health initiatives. Prior to each trip, faculty and students from all participating universities work together to plan a four day clinical and public health agenda.

Every semester the project offers a number of services to a colonia. The group of over 100 participants collaborate on numerous projects including: health education classes, eye exams, medical exams, providing access to a pharmacy, and selected special projects to address critical local health issues.

In the fall of 2004 one of the most insightful accomplishments of the VIIDAI project concerning the colonia included an ethnological study approach which resulted in the creation of a series of interviews, aimed at different segments of the Colonia population, designed to determine how residents felt about their health, community, and general living conditions. Information gathered from this study initiated interest in numerous health aspects specific to the people of Lomas de San Ramon. The study revealed that the highest level of the health interests and concerns revolved around issues concerning family planning. Coupled with this issue was the concern of young teen pregnancy.

In prior years the VIIDAI team has discovered various significant health care problems, yet due to limited funding the program has not had the resources to address these issues as completely as they would like. However, a grant recently received by the Fred H. Bixby Foundation has provided VIIDAI with the opportunity to further investigate and document the reproductive health of the colonia as well as their access to contraceptives. The investigation occurred in March of 2005 using both clinical and community based surveys. Early in February in-depth interviews and focus groups of both male and female community leaders further explored knowledge and attitudes concerning family planning . SDSU and UABC students used the feedback gathered during this formative research phase when the team returned in March to train community leaders in reproductive health. Additional family planning components supported by Bixby included pelvic exams, pap smears and contraceptive counseling.

Upon each successful trip, the VIIDAI program gains momentum and support amongst its participants and the community. Every semester, new opportunities are identified and the hope and energy of the project grows. With continued support, the future of VIIDAI and the communities it helps will remain promising and rewarding.