RFU Teams With Community Partners to Build a New Model for Healing and Justice

Inside a child-friendly exam room in Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinic’s pediatric sexual assault clinic, the goal is both urgent and profound: ensure that a child who has experienced abuse receives care that is coordinated, compassionate and complete.

The RFU Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) Medical Clinic is the first Illinois Department of Public Health-approved pediatric healthcare facility embedded within a children’s advocacy center in the state. Launched in partnership with the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center (LCCAC), a division of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, it moves care away from emergency departments, where children often face long waits and inconsistent follow-up. Instead, it offers a comprehensive model that brings medical care, investigators and support services together under one roof.

“For children going through this without a CAC medical clinic, it can be very disorganized and chaotic,” said Julie Creaden, DNP, ARPN, CPNP-PC, medical director, RFU Health Clinics and RFU CAC Medical Clinic. “But in the CAC medical clinic, the entire team is present and collaborative.”

The extended care team includes pedatric sexual assault nurse examiners, forensic interviewers, law enforcement, prosecutors, mental health professionals and victim advocates — each with a distinct role, working in concert. In a typical case, a child speaks once with a specially trained forensic interviewer in a comfortable setting, sometimes alongside a support dog.

“With the university collaboration, we are now onsite to offer immediate care and evaluation when indicated,” Dr. Creaden said. “Together, we ensure trauma-informed care that minimizes repeated interviews and reduces the burden of reliving the experience.”

The clinic fills a critical gap: in 2023, 587 children in Lake County had cases that could have warranted a sexual assault exam, yet only 20% received one.

“When you would tell a family, ‘You need to go to the hospital,’ oftentimes they weren't going,” said LCCAC Executive Director Carrie Flanigan. “The clinic is a game changer. Every child who comes through our doors now has access to medical care.”

That access extends beyond individual treatment. Immediate, coordinated evaluations improve evidence collection and strengthen legal cases. In the past, delays in obtaining medical records could stretch for weeks. Now, with appropriate consent, information can be shared quickly among team members.

“As a result, we’re able to move more quickly on search warrants or arrests and get offenders off the street sooner,” Ms. Flanigan said.

The clinic also serves as a point of entry into the broader healthcare system for medically underserved children. Exams not only reassure children and families navigating trauma, but also identify serious, previously undiagnosed conditions — from leukemia to HIV.

“Every child deserves to know their body is okay and that no matter what they’ve been through, they’re going to be okay,” Ms. Flanigan said. “We have the resources to alleviate that fear.”

RFU sees the clinic as a model for both care and learning. Medical students rotate through the advocacy center to observe the multidisciplinary process, and the clinic expands opportunities for clinical training and workforce development.

“It’s an extraordinary opportunity for our faculty and students to advance education and research,” said Brenda Affinati, MD, Assistant Dean for Medical Student Education, Phase III. “It’s helping us prepare future providers to recognize and respond to abuse.”

The model’s collaborative approach is gaining traction at the state level. State Senator Julie Morrison secured $1 million in funding to bring the clinic to life, reflecting growing recognition that child abuse requires a coordinated public health and justice response, one that improves care, strengthens evidence collection and reduces social and healthcare costs.

RFU Vice President of Clinical Services Jeff Espina, MBA, said the clinic embodies RFU’s mission to improve the health of all people.

“We’re proud to ensure that children going through an incredibly traumatic experience receive not just what they need but what they deserve,” he said.