Frontera NorteSur
April -May 2003

May 27, 2003
Tijuana Lacks Psychiatric Hospital

Tijuana has at least 14,000 residents that suffer from mental illness but no hospital dedicated exclusively to treating them, according to Tijuana psychiatrists and the Red Internacional de Colaboración en las Ciencias del Comportamiento (International Network for Collaboration in the Behavioral Sciences). 

Hermilo Fernández, director of Tijuana's Casa de Protección de la Salud Mental and a supporter of the effort to get a state-sponsored psychiatric hospital in the city, said that the World Health Organization estimates that 1% of the residents of large urban areas suffer from mental illness. Given Tijuana's population of 1.4 million in the 2000 Mexican census, Fernández arrives at a figure of 14,000 which he calls conservative. 

Without a hospital, the majority of Tijuana's mentally ill live at home, where some get treatment, while others are on the street, Fernández said. Other people receive treatment outside of Tijuana but Fernández noted that there is no data on the numbers involved. 

Although the city lacks a full-scale hospital, it did open a psychiatric treatment center in 1989. Last year it assisted 5,858 people on an outpatient basis and attended to 1,338 psychiatric emergencies. Schizophrenia was the most commonly seen ailment with 1,096 cases last year of which 629 resulted in hospitalization. 

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), May 27, 2003. Article by Omar Millán. 

May 12, 2003
Rapid Growth in Tijuana Private Schools

Over the past dozen years, Tijuana has seen the addition of 130 private schools that serve  preschool, elementary and junior-high age students. Mexicali and Ensenada have each added ten new private schools over the past decade. Tecate added four new private schools as well over the past decade. 

An article in the Tijuana newspaper Frontera (no relationship to FNS), states that private schools have increased in number because of the city's population explosion. It also attributes their growth to Baja California's inability to build new public schools fast enough to keep up with demand for educational services. 

Juan José Ramos Aguilera, the director of the State Educational System in Tijuana, says "It's calculated that everyday an average of 1,300 people arrive to Tijuana and of these possibly 10% are children or young adults with educational needs."

Ramos agreed that private schools help the city meet educational demand. He said that Tijuana has enough preschools and elementary schools to meet 100% of demand. However, the city only has room for 95% of students that want to attend junior high. 

Currently, Tijuana has 143 private preschools, 113 elementary schools, and 49 junior highs. Of all Tijuana youth attending these grades, 13.6% go to private schools, according to data from the State Educational System. 

Ramos cautions that raw numbers can be misleading. When a private school opens it may just serve one grade at first or even just one group of children. In contrast, the state system added two junior highs this year and started offering a second session of classes at six schools (generally evening programs) and this opened up 4,500 new seats for students. 

According to Ramos, competition from private schools has kept public ones competing. However, private schools charge dozens of times more than the public sector and can therefore afford to offer extra hours of class every day in areas such as computers, English and art, he said.

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), May 12, 2003. Article by Patricia Blake. 

April 25, 2003
Despite Warnings and Detainments, Some Migrants are Determined to Enter US from Tijuana

Eduardo Sánchez López, age 25, a married father of two young children, was deported to Tijuana after having spent seven years living just across the border in San Diego. Sánchez says he was detained by immigration law enforcement officials on March 14, 2003 while he was at work at a drywall company. 

"I'm desperate," Sánchez said, "my sons are very little, one is three months old and the other is three years old and they need me."

Since being deported from the US, Sánchez has not been able to speak with his wife. He is concerned for his family's finances because the rent on the house where they live is $700 a month and his wife does not have the necessary legal documents to get a job. 

Determined to cross the border, Sánchez was waiting for nightfall by the fence that divides the two nations."Tonight, I"ll try again. I"ll take advantage of every mistake the guards make until I am back with my family," he stated. 

To the US from Sinaloa

Mario Luna Moreno, age 32, from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, has been in Tijuana for a week and has already tried twice to get into California. Both times he was caught by the Border Patrol.

Luna has a wife and three kids in Los Mochis and he misses them. However, it is on their behalf that he is trying to go to the US. He wants a better future for them. 

"I didn't come so far to turn back with empty hands," he said, "but rather to work at something, whatever it may be, because once on the other side, I can work at many things." 

Discouragement from US and Mexico organizations

Besides the US Border Patrol discouraging them to cross into the US, migrants like Luna and Sánchez receive information about the dangers of illegal entry to the US from Mexico's Grupo Beta. Agents from that organization handout brochures listing the dangers of crossing the border in remote areas or across rivers where drowning is a risk. The goal of Beta is to ensure the safety of people seeking to enter the US, either by discouraging them from trying, rescuing them from dangerous situations, or through other means.  

Last year, Beta Tijuana provided 36,000 services to migrants that found themselves at the border and unable to cross to the US. This is up from just over 19,000 services in 2001. Services include such things as providing food and water, clothes or a place to stay in a migrant shelter. Rescue from dangerous situations or human traffickers is also included in this category. 

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), April 25, 2003. Article by Luis Adolfo San. 

April 16, 2003
Alcohol Contributes to Deaths, Accidents and Fights in Tijuana

Alcohol is a factor in approximately 100 emergency room deaths per month in Tijuana. In that city, the Red Cross reports that its emergency rooms treat around 250 people per month for injuries and illnesses related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. According to the Red Cross, alcohol is a contributing factor in car accidents, fights, stabbings, falls and illnesses.  

In January 2003, Tijuana emergency rooms treated 262 people that smelled of alcohol when they arrived for treatment. Of these individuals, 63 were wounded in fights, 33 in car accidents and 65 were admitted for excessive alcohol consumption. Causes for the other admissions were not given. Nearly 40% of those brought in for treatment die from their injuries and/or illnesses, according to the Red Cross. 

Mexico's statistical institute, Inegi, found in its study "The Youth" that Baja California has the highest youth mortality rates. The top two causes are accidents and violence and alcohol frequently plays a role in both of these. 

José Rubio Soto, who worked on health issues for the city of Tijuana in the years 1999 and 2000, did a study which found that 18.6% of males and 5.1% of females involved in the city's 9,500 annual accidents smelled of alcohol or were drunk at the time of their accident. 

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), April 16, 2003. Article by Omar Millán González. 

April 10, 2003
Actions Announced to Protect Important Northern Baja California Forests

Five years of drought and a disease among pine trees are taking a toll on Northern Baja California forests and parks, according to a study done over the past month by state and federal environmental authorities. On April 9, 2003, Mexican officials announced a plan to protect and better green areas in the region.  

Environmental officials said that some infected pine trees will be removed as part of the plan. Monitoring of affected areas will continue and some trees will be vaccinated. Chemical and biological agents will also be used to improve forest health. 

Carlos Alfonso de Parra, the BC director of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaria del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Semarnat), proposed that a trust be established that would work toward rehabilitating forests. Funds for the forest work will come from the region's forestry sector, Parra stated. 

José Cebrían Tovar, Semarnat's director of forest health, stated that the Sierra de Juárez shows increasing signs of problems. When officials flew over the area six months ago they found approximately 50 hectares of infected pines. However, in past days the disease had spread to over 500 hectares of trees. 

Another important ecosystem in the north of the state is the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir. In describing this forest, Cebrían mentioned that it was not as badly affected as the Sierra de Juárez. Semarnat's plan for San Pedro Mártir is to continue monitoring the spread of disease and control it as necessary. 

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Juárez and the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir are pine-oak forests that provide habitat for puma, bighorn sheep, bald eagles and California condors. Some species found in the area are found nowhere else in the world. The area has numerous species of pines and San Pedro Mártir has some of Mexico's tallest pines which rise to over 220 feet (70 meters) and have pine cones that are over two feet (70 cm) in length. 

For more on the Sierras go to: http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0526_full.html#threats

Source: La Crónica, April 10, 2003. Article by Gerardo Franco. World Wildlife Fund web site. 

April 7, 2003
BC Insurance and Social Security Fund in Trouble

The numbers speak for themselves in the case of the crisis facing Baja California's State Workers' Social Security and Services Institute: in 1982 there were 20 workers for every retired person receiving a pension while today there are just 5.2 workers for each person receiving a pension. In 1999, the Institute had 343 pesos per insured person to buy pharmaceuticals. Today, there are only 263 pesos available per insured individual to purchase needed drugs.  

Known in Spanish as the Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales para los Trabajadores del Estado (ISSSTE), the Institute has the dual responsibility of providing health insurance to state workers and their families and making sure that retired state employees receive their pensions. With a 2003 budget of 54.6 billion pesos (approximately US$5.5 billion), the Institute pays out 56% of its funds as pensions to its 460,000 retired members. The rest of its funds go to support health insurance for the Institute's 10.2 million covered individuals who are state workers and their family members. However, for 2003, the Institute has a budget deficit of over 3 billion pesos (US$330 million). 

Another problem faced by the Institute is that pensions are losing their value due to inflation so more retired people are using the Institute's health services instead of going to the private doctors they used to visit. In 1997, only 30% of retired state workers went to state hospitals. Today, more than 60% use the Institute. 

A separate problem that greatly bothers Institute hospital workers is the age of the facilities and their equipment. In some hospitals, beds can no longer be adequately adjusted to accommodate patients needs. In other facilities, air conditioning is a problem and in the past patients have been told to bring their own cooling fans when they are admitted for surgery. 

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), April 7, 2003.