Get Started: Care for Foster Children
Step-by-step health care for your foster child
Because we know that children in foster care have often been affected by childhood trauma and stress, the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence, at Children's Health℠, recommends making your first medical appointment a priority. Texas law requires children and teens entering foster care receive a health screening visit within 72 business hours of placement and again within 30 days of placement.
Step 1: Enroll with a doctor
To avoid delays in being seen by a health provider, it’s important to register your foster child as soon as they are placed in your home:
In Dallas, please register with Dr. Hilda Loria by calling 866-912-6283 before your appointment.
In Plano, please register with Dr. Mayra Nieves-Rios by calling 866-912-6283 before your appointment.
Step 2: Schedule an appointment
To schedule a new patient appointment for your child, please call:
Dallas 214-867-6000
Plano 469-303-9000
We recommend that you keep a calendar so you can track your child’s follow-up medical and behavioral health appointments.
We have been to other community providers, but it is the outstanding level of care that our children receive at the Rees-Jones Center that keeps us coming back.
Step 3: Talk about the appointment
Prepare your child for routine health visits by explaining the purpose of the visit in age-appropriate language. Be sure to speak positively to reduce any fears and promote a healthy relationship between your foster child and the doctor. Create a list of questions for the health care provider to answer during the appointment and encourage your foster child to do the same.
Step 4: Bring these helpful records
We know and understand that records can be difficult when a foster child is newly placed. Any of the following documents that you can be provide before or at your first appointment will be helpful:
Immunization records
Current medications (including dosages and instructions)
Former or current doctors and behavioral health providers and any available records (for example, discharge summaries or psychological documents)
A list of previous schools (sometimes immunization records can be collected from schools)
One of the following required legal documents (which can be faxed to 214-456-3741 in Dallas and 214-867-5449 in Plano.):
Medical Consenter Form 2085-B (Foster Placement)
Medical Consenter Form 2085-KO (Kinship Placement)
Court order establishing Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC)
Court order establishing Temporary Managing Conservatorship (TMC)
Safety plan agreement from Child Protective Services
Late arrivals
Please arrive early for your appointment. Late arrivals will only be seen with your doctor’s approval, and you may be asked to wait until the next available appointment or reschedule for another day.
What to expect at your appointment
Starting with your first visit, your child will see the pediatrician or nurse practitioner who will care for them at all routine and illness visits. During your appointment, your child’s care team may also include additional experts from Children’s Health and UT Southwestern, including:
Nurses and medical assistants
CPS liaisons
Nurse coordinators
Early childhood specialists
Psychologists
Therapists
Psychiatrist
Medical students
After-hours care and the nurse advice line
Once you have completed your first visit, we can help with any questions or concerns about your foster child’s health. Please feel free to discuss your concerns during your appointments. In addition, a nurse is available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please call and select option 4:
Dallas 214-867-6000
Plano 469-303-9000
Please do not hesitate to call. We’re here to help you.
If you have a sick child who needs to see a doctor after hours or on weekends, please call 214-456-7000 and ask the operator to page the on-call Foster Care Provider (available for established patients only).
Missed Appointment Policy
Providing exceptional care for patients and families is dependent on your attending all scheduled appointments. If you need to reschedule, please contact the clinic at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time at:
Dallas 214-867-6000
Plano 469-303-9000
Providing advance notice gives the clinic the opportunity to offer that appointment time to other children awaiting care.
Following two consecutive no shows, we will contact your Child Placing Agency and/or Child Protective Services to better coordinate the plan of care. We are also unable to refill prescriptions, provide school or work notes, and may delay pending therapy services if you do not keep your appointments.
If the child has moved, please contact our clinic so we can update the patient’s chart.
Frequently asked questions FAQs
Who can be referred to the foster care clinic?
What do I need to bring to the appointment?
My new foster child doesn’t have all the listed information needed. Can we still come to the first appointment?
How long will our first visit take?
Can we come to the clinic for therapy or behavioral health care only?
Does the clinic report to CPS about behavioral health and medical visits?
Why can’t I access MyChart for my foster child?
Step 1: Enroll with a doctor
To avoid delays in being seen by a health provider, it’s important to register your foster child as soon as they are placed in your home:
In Dallas, please register with Dr. Hilda Loria by calling 866-912-6283 before your appointment.
In Plano, please register with Dr. Mayra Nieves-Rios by calling 866-912-6283 before your appointment.
Step 2: Schedule an appointment
To schedule a new patient appointment for your child, please call:
Dallas 214-867-6000
Plano 469-303-9000
We recommend that you keep a calendar so you can track your child’s follow-up medical and behavioral health appointments.
Step 3: Talk about the appointment
Prepare your child for routine health visits by explaining the purpose of the visit in age-appropriate language. Be sure to speak positively to reduce any fears and promote a healthy relationship between your foster child and the doctor. Create a list of questions for the health care provider to answer during the appointment and encourage your foster child to do the same.
Step 4: Bring these helpful records
We know and understand that records can be difficult when a foster child is newly placed. Any of the following documents that you can be provide before or at your first appointment will be helpful:
Immunization records
Current medications (including dosages and instructions)
Former or current doctors and behavioral health providers and any available records (for example, discharge summaries or psychological documents)
A list of previous schools (sometimes immunization records can be collected from schools)
One of the following required legal documents (which can be faxed to 214-456-3741 in Dallas and 214-867-5449 in Plano.):
Medical Consenter Form 2085-B (Foster Placement)
Medical Consenter Form 2085-KO (Kinship Placement)
Court order establishing Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC)
Court order establishing Temporary Managing Conservatorship (TMC)
Safety plan agreement from Child Protective Services
Late arrivals
Please arrive early for your appointment. Late arrivals will only be seen with your doctor’s approval, and you may be asked to wait until the next available appointment or reschedule for another day.
What to expect at your appointment
Starting with your first visit, your child will see the pediatrician or nurse practitioner who will care for them at all routine and illness visits. During your appointment, your child’s care team may also include additional experts from Children’s Health and UT Southwestern, including:
Nurses and medical assistants
CPS liaisons
Nurse coordinators
Early childhood specialists
Psychologists
Therapists
Psychiatrist
Medical students
After-hours care and the nurse advice line
Once you have completed your first visit, we can help with any questions or concerns about your foster child’s health. Please feel free to discuss your concerns during your appointments. In addition, a nurse is available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please call and select option 4:
Dallas 214-867-6000
Plano 469-303-9000
Please do not hesitate to call. We’re here to help you.
If you have a sick child who needs to see a doctor after hours or on weekends, please call 214-456-7000 and ask the operator to page the on-call Foster Care Provider (available for established patients only).
Missed Appointment Policy
Providing exceptional care for patients and families is dependent on your attending all scheduled appointments. If you need to reschedule, please contact the clinic at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time at:
Dallas 214-867-6000
Plano 469-303-9000
Providing advance notice gives the clinic the opportunity to offer that appointment time to other children awaiting care.
Following two consecutive no shows, we will contact your Child Placing Agency and/or Child Protective Services to better coordinate the plan of care. We are also unable to refill prescriptions, provide school or work notes, and may delay pending therapy services if you do not keep your appointments.
If the child has moved, please contact our clinic so we can update the patient’s chart.
