MSF MEXICO: Ciudad Juárez: “Daily we witness the impacts of the environment in the mental and physical health of entire families”
Between March 2025 and January 2026, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) attended almost 5,000 medical and mental health consultations, identifying violence as the main trigger for care needs. After years of focusing on the population on the move, MSF is shifting its response to serve residents of the city's most vulnerable communities.
Ciudad Juárez, México, March 26, 2026 – Ciudad Juárez has not only served as a migration transit point; it has also become a place of prolonged stay for people on the move and, for years, a territory marked by chronic violence. In response to this reality, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is opening a fixed point of care in the city while delivering activities directly within communities, reaching people in the environments where they live and face the greatest risks.
MSF is implementing violence prevention activities and providing specialized care to displaced people, deportees and local populations, strengthening community support networks and promoting safer, more cohesive and resilient environments.
MSF teams have broadened the model based on mobile clinics to include assistance to any survivor of violence in any of its forms, including extreme violence, sexual violence, extorsions and other kinds of aggression related to the local context.
“The data is clear: violence is the primary triggering factor in mental health consultations. We witness daily how the environment impacts the mental and physical health of entire families,” explains Ricardo Santiago, MSF Base Manager in Ciudad Juárez. He adds that the new model of care allows for closer and more continuous patient follow-up. “We need to destigmatize mental health and recognize it as a fundamental human right,” he emphasizes.
MSF understands the importance of coordinated work in order to guarantee access to specialized treatments and in the necessity to strengthen alliances with other relevant actors that allow reaching the population in need. Also, for MSF, mental health is not a secondary service but rather a primary medical necessity.
“We reaffirm our commitment to work alongside other actors to strengthen access to care for survivors of all forms of violence, ensuring they can access professional, free-of-charge services delivered under the strictest medical and confidentiality standards,” highlights Ricardo Santiago.
Between March 2025, when the project began, and January 2026, MSF teams carried out a total of 5,629 consultations, integrating mental health, primary healthcare, sexual and reproductive health, and social work services. The new facility serves patients from central Ciudad Juárez as well as nearby areas such as Plutarco and Anapra. Team activities also include engagement with community groups in Riveras del Bravo and Talamás. For MSF staff, addressing mental health in Ciudad Juárez requires recognizing violence as a phenomenon that demands a broader social and community-based response.
“Our work is not only about treating a diagnosis; it is about validating the suffering and strengthening the resilience tools of the community”, emphasizes Nancy Morales, MSF psychologist. She highlights the profound impact of sustained violence, particularly on children: “We see patients who have faced chronic violence since childhood. These experiences can lead to structural changes in brain development and affect the ability to assess and respond to risk later in life,” she states.