International adoption clinic opens

When U.Va. nurse Jennifer White began the process of adopting a daughter from China some years ago, she received a photo and medical report from the orphanage that was short on information about the child's development and difficult to interpret.

"You ask as many questions as you can, but ultimately it's a leap of faith," said White, who has since adopted another daughter.

With Americans adopting more than twice as many children from foreign countries last year than a decade ago -- a trend confirmed locally by pediatricians -- the U.Va. Health System has opened an international adoption clinic at the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center.

"The clinic's goal is to offer parents expertise if they have medical records and videotapes of a child before the adoption takes place, and then, if they decide to adopt, to do a medical check up when the child arrives," said co-director Dr. Linda Waggoner-Fountain. U.Va.'s wide range of pediatric specialists and resources in international medicine make it an ideal site for such a clinic.

Unusual infections, high levels of lead, intestinal parasites and delayed emotional development are some of the medical problems pediatricians encounter among children adopted from abroad.

The International Adoption Clinic will be open on Tuesdays. For more information or to make an appointment, call 924-9130.