Pediatrician is a champion for children in foster care

By Cathy Frisinger

From left, Drs. Heidi Roman, Anu Partap, and Jaclyn Albin
From left, Drs. Heidi Roman, Anu Partap, and Jaclyn Albin

When Dr. Anu Partap was a 21-year-old medical student, she happened to read a Time magazine issue that had a cover story on domestic abuse. That chance reading spawned an interest that has shaped her career, bringing Dr. Partap, in time, to her role as a leading advocate for better medical care for foster children in Texas.

As that young medical student, she began asking her female patients if they had had any experience with trauma or abuse, and the numbers who responded affirmatively surprised her. “What struck me back then was that the violence in their lives was undermining whatever we were trying to do medically,” said Dr. Partap, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center who also serves as Director of the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence at Children’s Health℠.

That interest in how family abuse complicates medical care continued during her pediatrics residency and fellowship, leading her to help found a program working with the Arizona governor’s office called PATCHES that brought together medical services, social services, educational services, and more. “It was a safe place where families could go and ask for help when they were ready,” she said.

Complications of a pregnancy caused Dr. Partap to put her career aside for several years, during which time her family moved to North Texas. “Being sick, being disabled, and then recovering taught me a lot about what my patients needed, too. It reminds me every day not to give up on them,” Dr. Partap said.

When she returned to work, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty, providing medical care for foster care children, most of whom had experienced physical abuse or neglect, or witnessed it. The foster care clinic at Children’s Health℠ had one physician and two physician assistants when Dr. Partap joined. She soon saw a need to improve the system of medical care for this highly vulnerable group at patients.

Eight out of 10 children who are in foster care have some kind of chronic medical condition, and almost all have suffered some form of trauma.

Children frequently enter foster care suffering from drug withdrawal, neglected health care, and severe delays in development. Gaps in health care lead to missed diagnoses and overlooked symptoms, making it that much harder to treat serious problems.

Dr. Partap, along with others at UT Southwestern and Children's Health℠, developed a paper outlining 18 points that were fundamental to the health and safety needs of foster care children. She made a case for a new model for medical care for children in foster care, and prominent organizations listened. The Rees-Jones Foundation donated $20 million to establish the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence.

Dr. Anu Partap (left) meets Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at a recent event.
Dr. Anu Partap (left) meets Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at a recent event.

Gov. Greg Abbott attended the grand opening ceremonies for the Rees-Jones Center in Dallas in December. The new center has greatly expanded facilities and staff, including two additional pediatricians – Dr. Heidi Roman, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics; and Dr. Jaclyn Albin, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine.

Dr. Partap cited access to early treatment, continuous caregiver support, and safe transitions as guiding principles for the new foster care treatment facility.

“The Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence is a rare and valuable resource,” said Dr. Julio Perez-Fontan, Chairman of Pediatrics. “By integrating care for foster children into a unified medical home, Dr. Partap and her multidisciplinary team have established a sanctuary where this vulnerable population of young patients and their foster families can find the tools and the encouragement to heal and thrive at all levels.”

The new facility has everything from side-by-side caretaker interview and patient play rooms to dimmer switches for traumatized children who react badly to bright light. Everything was designed with this special population in mind. Dr. Partap said she hopes to see more such facilities.

“I’m confident that what we have done here is replicable across the state,” Dr. Partap said.

Dr. Perez-Fontan holds the Robert L. Moore Chair in Pediatrics