Medical students in El Paso help treat migrants

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Local medical students are now treating migrants.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso started a collaboration to help migrants within Annunciation House facilities.

The launch of the border health program will provide emergency health care, similar to what urgent care clinics offer, helping medical students to hone their skills as well as helping to heal migrants in need.

"Obviously, they have faced things that I can only imagine," said Fabiola Ramirez, a second-year medical student.

"You can see that they are still a little bit tense after this journey," said Soroush Omidvarnia, a second-year medical student.

"Patients who have been through quite a lot and have more resistance to health care professionals," said Angelica Zambrano, a second-year medical student.

The collaboration is with Doctors of the World USA.

The partnership has led to the creation of the Border Health Program and a clinic serving migrant patients locally.

"We talk about the three C's of medicine. What makes a good a good physician? The physician has to be carrying. They have to be competent. They have to have the skills, but most importantly, they need to be involved with their community," said Jose Manuel De La Rosa, Vice President of Community and Engagement TTUHSC.

In 2021, CBP recorded 557 deaths along the border. 

Migrants often walk long hours in the desert, climb mountains, and risk their lives crossing the river. 

"Taking care of patients here has really opened my eyes to the fact that we don't live in a small bubble. The world is obviously bigger. There's bigger problems out there," said Ramirez.

"You do see that hope in their eyes," said Omidvarnia, a second-year medical student.

Soroush is a medical student who migrated from Iraq.

​​​​​​​"When we came to the United States as migrants, really the navigation of health care was something that just accumulated into that interest that I wanted to pursue medicine," said Omidvarnia.

He uses his experience to help put patients at ease.

"I realize that all it takes to make them feel comfortable with you sometimes is just sharing one similarity. Oh, exactly. Yeah. I've been here too. I know what you're going through," said Omidvarnia.

"We teach some of the philosophy of medicine, but this makes it real. And that, that's the difference" said De La Rosa.