Who We Are
Welcome to The Center of Excellence for Immigrant Child Health and Wellbeing!

 

Our Center serves as an institutional and community hub to support interventions that contribute to equitable healthcare and healthy, resilient children regardless of immigration status. It is among the first of its kind at a children’s hospital in the U.S.

Background

Immigration policies historically and currently have had negative consequences on the health and wellbeing of immigrant children and their families. National and state policies such as Proposition 187 in California in 1994 that prohibited undocumented immigrants from using non-emergency health care, public education, and other services; the Muslim ban in 2017; and the 2019 Public Charge Rule have created tremendous fear throughout the immigrant community. This fear has resulted in decreased utilization of eligible public benefits as well as health care services based on fear of deportation. It is now well documented that harmful immigration policies result in poor health and mental health outcomes including increased anxiety in children and a rise in babies being born with low birth weight to immigrant mothers who fear deportation.

As pediatric health care providers committed to optimal outcomes for children, the impact of this was greatly disturbing. Therefore, based on these realities, a small group of providers felt it was urgent that UCSF have a coordinated response to address these concerns which included the integration of mental health with physical health care, as well as advocacy and education. Hence the idea for the Center of Excellence for Immigrant Child Health and Wellbeing was born. Through discussions with Senior Administration, we were able to champion the need for the Center and obtain the necessary support and funding to officially begin operations in January 2020.


1. “Responding to the Public Charge Rule: Immigrant Well-being and Access to Services”, BIMI Policy Report  
2. Novak NL, Geronimus AT, Martinez-Cardoso AM. Change in birth outcomes among infants born to Latina mothers after a major immigration raid. Int J Epidemiol. 2017 June 
3. Novak NL, Geronimus AT, Martinez-Cardoso AM. Change in birth outcomes among infants born to Latina mothers after a major immigration raid. Int J Epidemiol. 2017 June 

The Three Pillars

Pillar 1 | Evidence-based Clinical Services

Delivering specialized care based on the unique needs of immigrant children, and offering no-cost forensic exams for asylum seekers.

Pillar 2 | Education

Providing training and consultation to health professionals and learners both at UCSF Benioff Hospitals and in the community

Pillar 3 | Advocacy

Providing and supporting local leadership in community collective action, policy analysis and recommendations, and linkages to community resources, as well as supporting families through awareness and honoring of their legal rights and safety in our hospital and clinical environments.

 


 

Top L-R: Griselda Marie Chavez, Dr. Raul Gutierrez, Peggy, O'Grady

Bottom L-R: Dr. Zarin Noor, Lourdes Juarez, Aura Aparicio