Upon admission of a child receiving trafficking victim services, within how many hours must they be screened to determine whether there is an immediate need for medical services?

• A. 24 hours
• B. 48 hours
• C. 72 hours
• D. 96 hours

Answer: (C)

Prompt medical screening right after a child enters trafficking victim services helps catch urgent health needs before they escalate. The window chosen—within 72 hours—recognizes that a rapid, trauma‑informed assessment is essential, but also that practical steps like scheduling a clinician, arranging transportation, and obtaining consent take time. This 72‑hour period ensures that any immediate medical concerns—injuries, infections, withdrawal or substance exposure effects, pregnancy, or acute illness—are identified quickly and addressed promptly, while keeping the process feasible within usual agency workflows. Shorter timeframes might be ideal in theory but can be hard to implement consistently in real cases; waiting longer than 72 hours risks missing urgent issues. Therefore, screening within 72 hours is the best fit to balance urgency with practicality.