Cnrstn 03.09 - Winthrop University Hospital

Winter/Spring 2009
Institute for Family Care
Winthrop’s International Adoption Program:
Connecting Loving Hearts and Healthy
Children around the Globe
When Thomas and Dymphna LiVecchi
received the long awaited phone call
from their adoption agency telling
them it was time to pack their bags,
the West Islip couple had just ten days
before leaving for China to meet their
22-month old daughter Samantha for
the first time.
Having just over a week to prepare
– from getting all of the required immunizations
to becoming educated on
medical issues that could arise out of
the country and learning about basic
childcare needs – is a great task for any
new parent. But thanks to the comprehensive
services that are available
through Winthrop-University Hospital’s
International Adoption Program, Mr.
and Mrs. LiVecchi were well equipped
and ready to welcome their daughter.
“Winthrop’s International
Adoption Program helped us throughout
the entire adoption process,” said
Mrs. LiVecchi. “Beginning with Dr.
Lee’s extensive evaluation of the
adoption referral – which helped us
tremendously in our decision – to the
travel preparation and post-adoption
services – the program was an amazing
resource.”
Under the dynamic leadership of
Leonard R. Krilov, MD, Chief of the
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division
and International Adoption Program at
Winthrop, and Associate Chairman of
the Hospital’s Department of Pediatrics,
Winthrop’s International Adoption
Program utilizes the caring and expertise
of infectious disease specialist Paul
J. Lee, MD, and Pediatric Nurse
Practitioner Diana Kong to deliver
matchless compassion and world-class
care to families throughout the entire
adoption journey.
“The decision to adopt a child is a
10 Cornerstone
Thomas and Dymphna LiVecchi with their
daughter Samantha.
major life event for the family and the
child. Although our program was started
in an attempt to provide medical
evaluation of a child adopted from
abroad and especially to address issues
of infections that children may have
been exposed to in a foreign country,
we realize that there are many other
aspects in bringing home a new child,”
said Dr. Krilov. “Our program strives to
provide a complete approach in our
evaluations including assessment of
nutrition development and other concerns
the families may have. We also
work with the families to establish a
medical home for their child either
through their continued primary pediatric
care in our office and the Division
of General Pediatrics at Winthrop or by
helping the transition to a primary care
practice in the community.”
Adopting a child from a foreign
country can often mean unique physical,
emotional and developmental
needs. Winthrop’s International
Adoption Program has been an outstanding
resource for nearly 1,200
families since the program’s inception
in the mid 1990’s.
Working with adoption agencies
around the region, the program works
with families who are adopting children
around the globe in countries including
Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia,
Poland, and Eastern European nations.
In addition, the Program is involved in
an increasing number of adoptions of
children from Ethiopia and special
needs children from China.
Once an adoption agency connects
a child with a loving home, Winthrop’s
International Adoption team works
closely with the parents to evaluate all
of the needs specific to that child. The
program’s pre-adoption services consist
of comprehensive physical and
developmental assessments which may
include an examination of photographs
and videotapes of the child to evaluate
physical or developmental disabilities;
infection risk assessments; and
immunization and medical record
interpretation.
“As part of the adoption process,
parents are often given medical and
developmental paperwork about the
prospective child to help them decide
whether to proceed. Unfortunately, this
information is usually intimidating and
unintelligible for parents because it
uses medical jargon and is written from
a different cultural perspective,” said
Dr. Lee. “The pre-adoption screen is
one of the most important services that
we provide because I am able to utilize
my experience to be an ‘interpreter’
and address parents’ concerns and
questions in straightforward language.
Parents receive the information and
discussion they need which enables
them to make one of the most important
decisions of their lives.”
Winthrop’s International Adoption
Program team also works with parents
to prepare them for travel to the child’s
country of origin. Among the many
valuable services available to parents
is access to Winthrop experts 24 hours