International Adoption Clinic

The International Adoption Clinic based at our Walnut Creek location provides health care that's specifically tailored to the needs of families who are adopting a child from another country. The transition for children coming to a new home 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.

We're here to help through all phases of the process. Before the adoption, we review the health records of prospective adoptees and consult with parents before and during their travels to meet the newest members of their family. Although our services are not geared toward primary care, we offer a full range of physical and neurophysical evaluations, and are able to diagnose and treat issues common among children making the transition to life in the United States, including developmental delays, immunization needs, infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies and problems with growth.

Services provided

• Pre-adoption review of a child's health record
• Consultation with adopting families before and during travel
• Post-adoption medical and neuropsychological evaluation
• Consultation regarding specific concerns at any point after adoption
• Immunization management
• Infectious disease screening
• Treatment for growth and nutritional deficiencies
• Addressing behavioral issues associated with pre-adoption institutionalization
• Fetal alcohol syndrome screening
• Educating parents, adoption professionals and medical providers

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.

Our clinic helps 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

UCSF's 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.

Referrals and continued care

Although the International Adoption Clinic doesn't serve as a primary health care 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.