ATLANTA (FN) — A College Park mother is demanding accountability after an urgent care clinic mistakenly diagnosed her 5-year-old daughter with multiple sexually transmitted infections, triggering a traumatic cascade of law enforcement and child welfare investigations before follow-up tests proved the results were false.
The incident began in April when the child was taken to an urgent care center for illness. A urine sample reportedly returned positive results for trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia — findings the mother immediately disputed.
“I knew right then that was incorrect because I protect my daughter,” she told FOX 5 Atlanta. “I couldn’t even breathe when [police] came to my house. I thought they were going to take my child away.”
Following protocol, the clinic alerted both police and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFACS). The mother said the experience left her daughter confused and emotionally shaken.
“She’s still wondering why did that happen to her. Why did the doctor and the police come, why was she looked at down there?” the mother said.
Subsequent testing at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and a second test ordered by the urgent care both returned negative results, confirming the initial diagnosis was erroneous.
Attorney Stephen Fowler, representing the family, said the case raises serious questions about the handling of pediatric healthcare and diagnostic procedures.
“We’re still looking for answers, but what we’ve seen so far suggests serious concerns in how this child’s care was managed,” Fowler said. “Ultimately, we want justice for this child.”
A lawyer for the urgent care clinic stated the facility followed mandatory reporting laws and relied on results from a third-party laboratory. The clinic emphasized its legal obligations to protect patient privacy and report suspected abuse.
The mother said she is speaking out to prevent similar incidents from happening to other families. “I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” she said.
