For Travelers

To consult with us while you are abroad to meet or visit your referred child:

1. Register at the  online submission system. (We are happy to look at preliminary info that you might receive before you travel, as well as to work with you when you’re there.)

2. Review the materials in the Travelers’ Packet below.

3. When you get to the orphanage or care center, gather medical history and information, photographs and video clips, then upload them to the submission system. If you are unable to access the online system from abroad, you may email your materials to iac@umn.edu. We will respond within 24 hours*.  We recommend you bring the required communication technology (e.g., laptop, digital camera, digital video recorder) with you.

* Please note:  for various reasons (technical incompatibilities, time zone gaps, holiday and weekend breaks) it is generally unwise to rely on a single source for a consultation while you are traveling.  As a contingency, we suggest reserving a back-up resource to provide a medical evaluation while you’re traveling.  View a list of other adoption medicine professionals

TRAVELERS' PACKET

Travel tips

How to take a good photo (that will be useful for purposes of FAS diagnosis)

How to take a good video (that will be useful in assessing the child’s current development stage)

How to measure head circumference

How to gather the child's health history

Understanding the medical information in your referral

Development

Pharmaceuticals commonly used in Russian orphanages

Growth Charts (print off the ones appropriate for the age and sex of your referred child)

DENVER PRESCREENING DEVELOPMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
Denver Prescreening Developmental Questionnaire forms are an additional tool that is useful in gathering medical information on your prospective child.  The questionnaire is not available for download; however, you may request a hard copy by sending an email to iac@umn.edu. Please indicate the child's age: 0-9 mo, 9-24 mo, 2-4 yr, 4-6 yr and include your mailing address.

WAIVER LETTERS
If you would like us to provide a letter to attempt to have the child's country of origin waive the waiting period sometimes required prior to adoption, please email your request to iac@umn.edu (this service is open only to families who use our preadoption consultation service). Include your home address, full official name of the child as she/he is known to the orphanage, and official date of birth. We will provide two original copies of the letter, signed by Dr. Dana Johnson and notarized by a notary public commissioned by the State of Minnesota. Since this service requires additional staff time and resources, we ask that you make an additional donation in the amount of $150.00.  Click here to make an additional gift.

COPY OF PHYSICIAN LICENSE
Some regions in Russia are asking for a copy of your physician's medical license (the one who certifies the parents' physical health). If you are in need of a copy of the medical license but your physician feels uncomfortable providing you with one, you can alternatively contact your state's board of medical practice and ask them for a certified copy of the physician's credentials. In Minnesota, that phone number is 612-617-2130, and you need to provide them with a written request and a check for $25.00 (as of this writing, October 2007).

PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES FOR TRAVEL ABROAD
Unfortunately, we are not currently able to write prescriptions for you in preparation for travel, or for your child when you go abroad to get her/him. You might consult with your primary care provider to see if they can do this for you, or call your insurance company to find out what travel clinics are covered in your network.

TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS - PRE-TRAVEL VACCINATIONS
We recommend you consult the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) website for country-specific travel information and recommended pre-travel vaccinations, and/or a travel clinic in your area.

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