Summer Series Ep2: U.S. Immigration Border Crisis with Dr. Eleanor Chung

Woke WOC Docs

Spotlight on the U.S. immigration border crisis has significantly increased in large part due to the hateful rhetoric of the Trump administration and global xenophobic sentiments. However, these issues have always existed. Our communities are standing strong in the fight for justice. In this episode, we’re talking with Dr. Eleanor Chung, a pediatrician at UCSF who started the Bridges Clinic, which provides health services for refugees, asylees, and victims of trafficking at San Francisco General Hospital. We talk more about how medicine intersects with the continuing fight for immigrant health and justice, especially with recent media coverage on horrific events occurring at the border. We briefly touch on why it is important to understand the deeply rooted history of the current immigration crisis and why collaborative, interdisciplinary wrap-around care is essential to address the needs of immigrant communities today. We hope this episode serves as an urgent call for justice, service, and love to all communities affected by these ongoing crises. We are fighting alongside you. Additional resources: ACLU "Know Your Rights" graphics and videos (in 10 languages): https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/know-your-rights-discrimination-against-immigrants-and-muslims?redirect=feature/know-your-rights-immigration#immigration Creating sanctuary spaces: toolkits & resources for health providers(Everyone Belongs Here): https://www.everyonebelongshere.net/toolkit Bio: Dr. Eleanor Chung, MD is an assistant professor of pediatrics at UCSF who has used her role as a healer to support the wellbeing of immigrant children and families in San Francisco. In addition to her work as a clinician and educator at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Dr. Chung has led a number of impactful projects, including the Bridges Clinic at the ZSFG Children’s Health Center. The clinic addresses the unique medical, legal and mental health needs of new immigrant children and families, many of whom are asylum seekers, and provides vital connections to community resources. She has given expert testimony on the impact of trauma and parental separation on children’s health and helped preserve many immigrant families. Dr. Chung is also the co-coordinator of the Too Small to Fail initiative, in which pediatricians teach parents that talking, reading, and singing to their young children can boost early brain and language development. Over 80 percent of parents reported improvements in their child’s behavior through this program. She is the recipient of the UCSF Edison T. Uno Public Service Award.