Medical Services
Mission Kids partners with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)’s Child Abuse Referral and Evaluation (CARE) Clinic to provide children a full medical evaluation by a nationally-recognized team of child abuse certified pediatricians.
Mission Kids partners with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to provide children a full medical evaluation by a nationally-recognized team of child abuse certified pediatricians.
Located in Montgomery County in nearby King of Prussia, this specialized clinic is an important and valued component for the investigation, as well as for the health and wellbeing of the child.
Mission Kids often makes referrals to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for specialized medical services. The Child Abuse, Referral and Evaluation (CARE) Clinic at CHOP is an outpatient clinical service that evaluates children and adolescenets for possible sexual abuse, physical abuse or neglect. The CARE Clinic is staffed by a team of physicians, social workers and mental health clinicians.
The Child Abuse, Referral and Evaluation (CARE) Clinic is an outpatient clinical service that evaluates children and adolescents for possible sexual abuse, physical abuse or neglect. The CARE Clinic is staffed by a team of physicians, social workers and mental health clinicians.
What To Expect at the CHOP CARE Clinic:
- The team takes a medical history, from the parent or caregiver, as well as a history of why the child was referred to the CARE Clinic.
- The team conducts physical examinations, including the anal and genital areas. They may use special equipment called a colposcope to better visualize the anal and genital areas.
- The clinic may test for sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy testing, if indicated.
- Team members may talk with the child alone, usually briefly.
- The team’s mental health clinicians may meet the caregivers and child to discuss a plan for counseling.
- Depending upon location, the CARE Clinic may utilize their telemedicine system to provide clinical care, ensuring access to their specialty services, regardless of location.
What the CHOP CARE Clinic does NOT do:
- The CARE Clinic does not conduct “internal” or invasive exams of children.
- Clinic staff does not do full, comprehensive interviews of children. However, we they work closely with child welfare and law enforcement investigators to ensure that all children and families receive any needed services. The local child advocacy centers (Philadelphia Children’s Alliance for residents of Philadelphia County; Mission Kids for residents of Montgomery County; Delaware County Child Advocacy Center for residents in Delaware County; and Bucks County Child Advocacy Center for residents of Bucks County) are often used to conduct forensic interviews and to provide service planning.
Proper medical attention is vital to the child’s healing. Even if the abuse is no longer physically present, we find that medical exams are an important part of the healing process; an opportunity for the child to hear: “Your body is okay.”
For more information about the CHOP ‘CARE’ Clinic, please visit: https://www.chop.edu/services/child-abuse-referral-and-evaluation-care-clinic
