>>> MORE THAN 10,000 ASYLUM SEEKING MIGRANTS HAVE ARRIVED AND SHE CAN IN CHICAGO SINCE LAST AUGUST.

EXTENDING THROUGH MULTIPLE COUNTRIES AND HAVING LITTLE OR NO ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE.

AS FAR AS THE CITY'S RESPONSE, POLICE STATIONS HAVE BECOME MAKESHIFT SHELTERS BEFORE TRANSITIONING THEM TO LONG-TERM HOUSING.

RECENTLY, VOLUNTEER TEAM OF MEDICAL STUDENTS HAS BEGUN MAKING THE ROUNDS AT THE POLICE STATION TO ASSIST WITH REFUGEES HEALTH NEEDS.

JOINING US WITH MORE ARE ZERO, FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO AND PART OF THE MOBILE MIGRANT HEALTH TEAM AND LUNA, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH.

I WANT TO WELCOME BOTH FOR JOINING US.

YOU ARE NO STRANGER TO THE SHOW.

THANK YOU AND WELCOME BACK.

I WANT TO START WITH YOU, SARAH AND YOU ARE PART OF THIS VOLUNTEER WORKING WITH MIGRANTS.

SHELTERING IN POLICE STATIONS.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AND WHAT CAN YOU TELL US?

>> I WILL GIVE YOU A CONCERN WITH OUR TEAM DOES AND WHO WE ARE.

IN OUR MAJORITY, WE ARE MEDICAL STUDENTS WHO ARE VOLUNTEERING WITH ATTENDING AND RESIDENT PHYSICIANS WHO ARE DONATING THEIR TIME TO GO TO THE POLICE STATION AND PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE.

UNDER THE PHYSICIAN SUPERVISION , AS MEDICAL STUDENTS WHO ARE BILINGUAL AND HAVE CERTIFICATION TO INTERPRET OUR TALKING TO PATIENTS TRIAGING AND TAKING THE CASES TO TALK TO OTHER PHYSICIANS ON STAFF.

WE HAVE REPLICATED THIS MODEL IN OVER 10 POLICE STATION SO FAR AND SEVERAL SHELTERS.

IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL.

WHAT WE ARE SAYING IS A LOT OF THINGS YOU CAN SEE IN A CLASSROOM, FOR EXAMPLE.

A LOT OF TIMES, IT IS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE IN CLOSE SETTINGS, SO IF ONE PERSON GETS A COLD, IT GOES AROUND JUST LIKE IN A CLASSROOM.

>> WHAT KIND OF SCREENINGS OCCUR WITH MIGRANTS WHEN THEY ARRIVE?

>> WHEN THEY COME TO THE BORDER, THEY GET THEIR SCREENING FOR PUBLIC HEALTH DISEASES, THREATS AND IMMEDIATE MEDICAL CARE AND LOOKING TO ESTABLISH CHRONIC CARE PREVENTATIVE CARE TO KEEP THEM FROM PROGRESSING DISEASES AND FULFILL THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS.

WHEN THEY COME IN CHICAGO, IT IS PRETTY MUCH THE FIRST SCREEN THAT HAPPENS AT THE BORDER AND THEY COME IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

THEY COME BY PLANE AND WE HAVE MIGRANTS COMING FROM O'HARE.

OR THEY COULD BE DRIVING THEMSELVES TO CHICAGO.

HERE, THE NEXT THING THAT HAPPENS IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME.

WE GO UNDER THAT SCRUTINY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH THREATS AND DISEASES.

THE OTHER MOST IMPORTANT THING, IMMEDIATE HEALTHCARE.

ANY PREGNANT LADIES OR CHRONIC CONDITIONS COME TO BE TO CONNECT WITH THE RIGHT SPACES AT THE RIGHT TIME AND KEEP INDIVIDUAL SAFE.

>> GIVE THEM THE HELP THEY NEED.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON HEALTH CONDITIONS AND CONCERNS YOU ARE SEEING MIGRANTS FACE?

>> THE MOST COMMON THING THAT I HAVE SEEN IS A COMMON COLD.

A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ON VERY LONG JOURNEYS.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRAVELING FOR 6 TO 8 MONTHS AND THE WAY THEY HAVE BEEN TRAVELING IS A LOT OF WALKING ON TOP OF TRAINS THROUGH JUNGLE PASSES.

THIS IS A VERY YOUNG AND STRONG GROUP OF PEOPLE.

THERE ARE SOME INJURIES FROM THE MIGRATORY JOURNEY, BUT A LOT THAT WE DO SEE OUR OLDER, SO WHAT OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS IN THESE CASES IS TO CONNECT THEM WITH FOLLOW-UP CARE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE TAKING CARE OF AND HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATELY ASSESSED.

>> POLICE OFFICERS IN THE STATIONS OR CHICAGOANS, IN GENERAL, ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ANY TRANSMISSIBLE DISEASES.

>> DISEASES, I WOULD SAY NO.

WE HAVE HAD CASES.

PLACES WHERE VACCINATION DOESN'T EXIST.

FORTUNATELY FOR AMERICANS, WE HAVE HAD ZERO TRANSMISSION FROM IMMIGRANTS TO ANY OTHER AMERICANS SERVING THE MIGRANT COMMUNITY AND IT'S BECAUSE WE ARE HEAVILY VACCINATED.

OUR CHILDREN ARE VACCINATED AS PART OF THE PROTOCOL.

>> SPECIFICALLY FOR MIGRANTS WHO HAVE ARRIVED.

>> EXACTLY.

CONCENTRATING.

HEAVILY, THAT NATURALIZATION THAT HAPPENS WHEN WE AS CHILDREN OR CONTRACT DISEASES.

AT THIS POINT, PUBLIC HEALTH, WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED.

OUR POLICE HAVEN'T BEEN INFECTED BY ANY MIGRANTS AND WE CONTINUE TO BE MAKING VACCINATIONS CONNECTED WITH MEDICAL HOMES AND MAKING SURE THEY GET THAT PREVENTATIVE CARE AND CHILDREN ARE INTEGRATED QUICKLY TO SCHOOL AND JOINING SUMMER CAMP AND ALL OF THESE EVENTS.

WE WELCOME THEM INTO THE PROCESS.

>> ANY COVERED CASES?

>> NO COVID CASES SO FAR.

NOW, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT, BECAUSE TRACKING CASES COMES SECOND MINE AND IT'S NOT A PRIORITY.

WE DON'T SEE THAT MUCH, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT IN CHICAGO, SO I THINK SARAH MENTIONED THAT THIS IS A VERY YOUNG AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY WHO ARE EAGERLY LOOKING TO START TO WORK.

>> WHAT ARE SOME BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE CARE FOR MIGRANTS?

>> THERE IS A LOT OF BARRIERS.

THE BIGGEST ONE IS LIMBO OF BEING IN THE POLICE STATION AND BEING TRANSFERRED TO SHELTERS.

WE DON'T KNOW WHEN THE BUSES ARE GOING TO COME.

GETTING PEOPLE FOLLOW-UP CARE AND CLINICS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT, BECAUSE WHAT IF A BUS COMES AND TAKES THEM TO SHELTER?

THAT IS 30 OR 40 MINUTES AWAY.

THAT IS ONE OF THE BIG BARRIERS THAT WILL BE RESOLVED, BECAUSE THEY ARE PHASING OUT POLICE STATIONS.

THE OTHER ONE IS LANGUAGE.

FOR ANY PERSON IN THE U.S. THAT SPEAKS A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH, SOMETIMES IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO ACCESS QUALITY CARE IN A CLINIC OR HOSPITAL WITH A PHYSICIAN IN GENERAL.

>> HEALTHCARE IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR HEALTH PROVIDER.

IT IS DEFINITELY A MUST.

DR. LUNA, WHAT ROLE DOES PH PLAY IN GOOD HEALTH CARE AND GETTING THE CARE THEY NEED?

>> THIS IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE WE HAVE SHELTERING THAT WE WERE DOING BEFORE WE END UP IN THE CRISIS.

FORTUNATELY, IT IS SATURATED AND DEALING WITH SEVERE SCARCITY.

NONTRADITIONAL INTERMEDIARY AREAS THAT WE HAVE OUR MIGRANTS HAS BECOME THE CHALLENGING THING THAT CDP AGE HAS TO STEP UP AND A LOT OF THINGS WE ARE NORMALLY NOT HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.

WE ARE JUST CHECKING DISEASES, BUT NOW WE ARE CENTRALIZING THIS .

WITH THAT OUR ALLIES, LIKE THE WAY IT IS HERE.

ALLIES WE HAVE MOBILIZING IN THEIR.

IT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE.

WE ALSO HAVE MEDICAL RESOURCE COURSE THAT WE ARE ASKING THAT WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS TO SIGN UP AND BE THERE AND PROVIDE THOSE IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND PUBLIC HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRES AND MAKING SURE DISEASES ARE WELL ASSESSED AND TIMELY AND PROMPTLY.

NOBODY IS AT RISK AND EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT AND CONNECTING INDIVIDUALS WITH IMMEDIATE HEALTHCARE THEY NEED.

THAT IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE ARE