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-Editorial
The Foundation for the Children of the Californias (FCC) proudly announces the upcoming Rehabilitation Jornada, a binational day of specialized medical and therapeutic
services for children with disabilities, to be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Hospital Infantil de las Californias (HIC), the only pediatric specialty hospital in the San Diego-Tijuana border region, located in Tijuana.
The Jornada-Spanish for “day’s journey”-is a cross-border initiative that brings together medical specialists, therapists, and volunteers from both the United States and Mexico since 2005 to provide an intensive day of multidisciplinary care. Services include surgery, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and other specialty consultations. Many children will also receive donated wheelchairs, walkers, braces, adaptive equipment, and assistive devices — all professionally fitted and provided free of charge by various organizations in the United States.
This equipment was donated by: J&J Artificial Limb and Brace; Cascade DAFO (Dynamic Ankle Foot Orthosis); University of Saint Augustine for Health Services; Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles; Illumina’s ILatinX ERG; Cue One Productions and Rapid Transfer Express, INC. “The Rehabilitation Jornada is a powerful example of what’s possible when compassion and expertise come together,” said Kathia Bustillos, Executive Director of FCC.
“Each event transforms lives—both for the children we serve and for the volunteers who make it happen.” Founded as a tri-national collaboration, FCC’s mission is “to enhance the health and nutrition of underserved children in the San Diego-Tijuana Mega-Region primarily through the support of Hospital Infantil de las Californias.”
The Rehabilitation Jornada began in 2005 with the initiative of Ellen Norton, a San Diego Pediatric Physical Therapist, in partnership with the Hospital Infantil de las Californias. The Rehabilitation Jornada reflects this mission by combining expertise, compassion, and community support from both sides of the border, ensuring children with disabilities and complex medical needs have access to high-quality, multidisciplinary care.
The Foundation for the Children of the Californias is a tri-national collaboration with Canada, the United States, and Mexico, endeavoring to enhance the health and nutrition of underserved children in the San Diego–Tijuana Mega-Region primarily through the operation of Hospital Infantil de las Californias, a model pediatric specialty medical and education complex, located one-half mile into Baja California, Mexico.
Hospital Infantil de las Californias offers outpatient care in 25 specialties, including day surgeries, dental, ophthalmology, orthopedics, and physical therapy, across a 56,000-square-foot facility. Many staff members are volunteers, and no child is turned away due to an inability to pay. The average cost of surgery is $1,200, while consultations typically run $35, making high-quality pediatric care accessible to families across the San Diego-Tijuana region.
The Foundation for the Children of the Californias was created to address a critical gap in pediatric specialty care in Northwestern Mexico. Until 1994, Baja California was the only U.S.-bordering Mexican state without a dedicated children’s medical center. Pediatric professionals partnered with civic, business, and academic leaders from Mexico, Canada, and the United States to establish the hospital. Today, legally classified as a private non-profit, Hospital Infantil treats more than 4,000 patients each month from both sides of the border.
