AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and Agencia Familiar Binacional (AFABI) have partnered to open a free AIDS clinic in Tijuana, the first community-based comprehensive HIV/AIDS clinic in Mexico.

“In keeping with our mission to provide medical care and advocacy to those in need, AHF is pleased to partner with AFABI in this new, free AIDS treatment facility, and to be able to bring AIDS/HIV medical care and anti-retroviral treatment to the community in Tijuana,” said Michael Weinstein, president of AHF.

Based in Los Angeles, AHF is the largest AIDS organization in the U.S. and operates free AIDS treatment clinics in the U.S., Africa, Central America and Asia, plus a dozen clinics throughout California. AFABI, a respected social service organization in Tijuana, invited AHF to assist them in opening the new clinic.

“Here we are all over the world, and there is a need in our back yard. We thought why not just go to this border town that so desperately needs this help,” said Jessie Gruttaduaria, AHF’s association director of government affairs.

Gruttaduaria said Tijuana and Mexican officials were originally skeptical of AHF’s intentions.

“It’s very difficult for an American organization to go into another country … more so in Tijuana. They were very suspicious of our motives. All we wanted to do was put people into care,” she said. “Now, we’ve overcome those hurdles, and we have a great relationship with Tijuana.The turnout for the grand opening was great.”

The Oct. 28 grand opening was a gala celebration with several Mexican dignitaries in attendance, including Dr. Jorge A. Saavedra Lopez, director of deneral de CENSIDA (the National Office of AIDS for Mexico) and Dr. Francisco Vera Gonzales, director of general de ISESALUD (equivalent to the Minister of Health for the State of Baja).

“We are deeply honored to have Dr. Saavedra Lopez and Vera Gozalez’s support for this undertaking, and are happy they can join us as we celebrate the opening of this new clinic,” Weinstein said. “It is particularly important to us to say that we don’t accept the tale of two cities where a person with AIDS in San Diego may have whatever they need and the same person in Mexico is not even receiving basic life-saving treatment.”

The new clinic is located on Avenida Rio Tijuana No. 2725, Col. Revolución Tijuana, B.C. There are approximately 30 patients already in treatment at the clinic. The clinic can accommodate 100 clients.

Mexico’s social security institutions offer free HIV/AIDS care. The clinic will provide medical care for those individuals not covered by social security or without access to the state’s FONSIDA (Mexican National Fund for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS) program.

“It is our hope and belief that this new AHF Immunidad Global HIV Clinic will improve access to HIV prevention and testing services, medical care and anti-retroviral therapy for these and others in need of care and services,” Gruttaduaria said. “There will be people who come to us who will transition into government care,”

A recent study of migrant workers by government researchers in California and Mexico showed that a many as 1 percent of workers – or 20,000 people – are HIV positive. That rate is three-times higher as the general population in both Mexico and the U.S.

“The only way to eradicate HIV/AIDS in the near future is by working in collaboration, and this magnificent project is proof of it,” said Juan Olmeda Pérez, president of AFABI. “Thank you everyone, on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico Border, who helped make this wonderful dream come true for Tijuana, Baja California.”

For more information on AHF’s new Tijuana clinic, log on to www.aidshealth.org.