Medical Evaluations of Suspected Child Victims

Health service providers throughout the state will become more and more familiar with this linked medical service delivery model, and a center will eventually be within about an hour's drive from anywhere in the state. When a health service provider receives a referral of a suspected child abuse victim, he or she can make use of this referral system and directly encourage the use of the service. The nearest center can then be contacted and they can recommend how soon the examination should take place. Please be aware that for acute medical conditions, ideal timing requires an examination within 24 hours of an alleged child abuse incident. The healing process of genital tissue in children can be very rapid; waiting several days for an examination may result in a loss of findings.

However, many abuse allegations are about incidents that happened weeks or even months beforehand. In these cases, speed of examination is not such an issue since acute findings will have already changed or disappeared. Calling the nearest GA CARES center will be the best way to get advice on what needs to be done in terms of the timing of the exam.