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| Vol. 22, No. 19 |
| October 15, 2000 |
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New Center Provides Care for Internationally Adopted Children By JENNIFER HART Texas Children's Hospital In response to a growing number of adoptions from other countries, the region's first multidisciplinary health center for internationally adopted children has opened at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. Texas Children's Health Center for International Adoptions is staffed by Texas Children's specialists who have provided care for children in Mexico, Panama and many African nations. The center is the first in the Southwest, and one of a handful nationwide. The center assists children who were orphaned in developing countries. Many of these children face health challenges, such as infectious diseases, malnourishment, and developmental delays, all of which are not part of a pediatrician's usual practice. "It's natural to take what we've learned in the international setting and bring it home to Texas Children's, providing an important resource to internationally adopted children in Houston," said Dr. Mark Kline, chief of the retrovirology clinic at Texas Children's Hospital and professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Kline and Dr. Heidi Schwarzwald, attending physician at Texas Children's and instructor of pediatrics at Baylor, have witnessed the needs of international adoptees firsthand since 1996. The physicians lead the Pediatric AIDS Initiative at Texas Children's and Baylor, an outreach team that provides medical and social services to HIV-infected children. Dr. Schwarzwald says experts at the Texas Children's Health Center for International Adoptions are available to assist parents even before they personally meet the child. "We can review a child's profile or medical records sent by the adoption agency," she said. "Once parents leave the country to pick up their child, we can be reached at all times." Specialists at the center recommend a physical and developmental exam within 72 hours of a child's arrival in the United States, and they offer comprehensive laboratory work, dietary assessment, counseling for new parents, ongoing care options and, if needed, referrals to specialists at Texas Children's. All services are provided by an array of specially trained experts, including physicians, psychologists, nurses, dietitians, social workers and counselors. The center also offers novel educational opportunities to Texas Children's physicians. "It's important for a teaching hospital like Texas Children's to provide experience in all aspects of pediatric care to medical students and residents," said Dr. Ralph D. Feigin, physician in chief of Texas Children's and president and CEO of Baylor. "An added benefit of the center is that pediatric residents who graduate from the training program at Texas Children's will be better equipped to manage the challenges of caring for international adoptees." "The new Texas Children's Health Center for International Adoptions is an exciting new opportunity for Texas Children's to expand its mission of building a community of healthy children," said Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children's Hospital. For details on Texas Children's Health Center for International Adoptions, or to make an appointment, call 1-866-824-5437 (TCH-KIDS). Information on the center is available online at http://www.texaschildrenshospital.org.
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