International Adoption Clinic

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The International Adoption Clinic at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland provides healthcare that's specifically tailored to the needs of families who are adopting a child from another country. The transition process for children coming to new homes in the East Bay can be difficult on both a physical and an emotional level, which is why we've made it our goal to provide your whole family with a safe place to turn to. Although our services are not geared toward primary care, we offer a full range of physical and neurophysical evaluations, as well as consultations and education for your family’s next best steps.

Why Families Choose Us

Support Before the Adoption Occurs

• It's estimated that almost 60 percent of internationally-adopted children have serious medical problems on initial screening, 80 percent of which are unsuspected before they arrive.
• The unique services provided by Children’s Hospital Oakland help adoptive parents determine if they're capable of parenting a particular child based on the child's medical and mental health needs as well as the parents' resources.

International Adoption Evaluations and Consultations

• Children's Hospital Oakland International Adoption Clinic is one of only three sites on the West Coast where prospective adoptive parents can have the medical records, growth data, photos, and even videos of a child evaluated within 48 hours.
• We help review the health records of children referred for adoption and consult with parents before and during their travels to meet the newest members of their family.

Service and Conditions Treated

• Growth Deficiency
  
• Immunization status
  
• Infectious disease screening
  
• Nutritional deficiencies
  
• Post-institutional behavioral issues
  
• Fetal alcohol syndrome screening
  
• Preadoptive review of health records
  
• Consultation before and during travel
  
• New-arrival child evaluation
  
• Issue-specific consultation regarding a child with a history of adoption
  
• Education of parents, adoption professionals, and medical providers
  

Referrals and Continued Care

• Although the International Adoption Clinic doesn’t serve as a primary healthcare clinic, we do diagnose and treat issues common among children making the transition to life in the United States, including developmental delays, immunizations, infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and growth issues.
• Because we know that your child’s best chance of success rests with a continuation of care, we're happy to provide referrals to Bay Area health professionals for follow-up treatments outside our clinic’s offerings.

Easy Access for Parents and Other Care Providers

• Families are welcome to self-refer to the International Adoption Clinic during any part of the adoption process.
• Services include educational components for parents, adoption providers, and medical providers.