Issue at a Glance

• Over 500,000 children are in foster care in the U.S.
  
  
• Increasing numbers of infants and children less than 5 years old are placed in foster care
  
  
• Children entering foster care often have chronic health, developmental, and psychiatric disorders which reflect their exposure to abuse, neglect, and separation trauma from families prior to placement
  
  
  • They require a comprehensive, systematic, and coordinated health care delivery system to ensure their needs are met
    
    
  • Different models have been developed, such as the Foster Care Clinic in Rochester, NY, Monroe County to address this issue. However, funding continues to be a issue.
    Click here for more information about Foster Care Clinic from Monroe County's Website
    
    
• Many adolescents aging out of the foster care system find themselves ill-prepared for independent living and are at increased risk for negative outcomes
  
  
• Primary care providers, specifically pediatricians, play an central role in helping child welfare agencies, foster families, and biological families lessen the trauma of placement separation and improve child health and development during foster care