Submitted by Providence Health and Services
Joyce Gilbert, M.D., has been named the medical director of the Providence Sexual Assault Clinic and Child Maltreatment Center in Lacey, and serves children and families in a five-county area. Dr. Gilbert replaces Deborah Hall, M.D., who is retiring after leading the clinic since its inception in 1991 and has been a vocal advocate and champion for children.
Dr. Gilbert joins Providence from Sandpoint, Idaho, where she has been a pediatrician specializing in child abuse for 29 years. In her Idaho private practice, she says, “I handled all child abuse exams for a two-county area, worked with the multidisciplinary teams, and provided court testimony for these cases.”
She received her medical degree from the University of Iowa, where she also completed her residency. She is also a clinical associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at University of Washington and has been teaching medical students and residents for the past 15 years.
“I feel like I’ve been training for this job for 29 years,” says Dr. Gilbert. “I’m just so excited.”
The Sexual Assault Clinic is co-located with partnering organizations including Monarch Children’s Justice and Advocacy Center, and Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Special Victim Team. Together with other partners, they hold multidisciplinary meetings.
“Multidisciplinary meetings provide communication and expert care for the kids every step of the way,” says Dr. Gilbert. “Being able to communicate very openly with health and welfare, law enforcement, prosecutors, is really what aids the kids, and helps get the best outcome.”
In addition to serving children who are sexually or physically abused, Dr. Gilbert will also be serving as a pediatric hospitalist at Providence St. Peter Hospital, working with St. Peter Hospital’s therapy program for drug-affected newborns, seeing patients on the pediatric unit, and consulting on pediatric cases in the emergency center.
About the Sexual Assault Clinic
Founded in 1991, Providence St. Peter Hospital Sexual Assault Clinic and Child Maltreatment Center provides medical services to children who are victims of sexual or physical abuse. The clinic is the only facility of its kind in the region and serves a five-county area that is primarily rural. The Sexual Assault Clinic receives patient referrals from law enforcement, Child Protective Services and area medical providers. The clinic has long been an innovative leader in providing caring and quality services to victims of sexual abuse. The program is supported by donations to Providence St. Peter Foundation.
