The Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital announced that it is opening a new specialized clinic in Riverton that would cater to kids with autism.
The hospital also announced a $3 million donation from a Utah businesswoman and philanthropist and her family. The money would be used to support the Primary Promise campaign to build the country's model health system for children.
New Clinic for Children With Autism
The announcement is for the opening of the new Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Clinic at the Primary Children's Outpatient Services building at Intermountain Riverton Hospital. The news marks a major milestone in the expansion of services for kids with autism and helps in meeting a rapidly growing need across the community.
Katy Welkie, the chief executive officer of Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital, said that they want children with autism and their families to know that they are not alone. She added that the expansion of autism services means they can help more children thrive, according to Intermountain Health News.
Welkie added that the expansion of services was only made possible with the help of the generous community. She said that the assistance has helped turn bold visions of building a model health system for children into a possibility.
The news comes as autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disability that manifests in differences in behavior. There are one in 36 children across the country who have autism spectrum disorder, which is equal to about 25,000 kids in Utah alone.
Filling in a Massive Gap
Katie Maday, a pediatric service line director at Intermountain Health, said that the large number of children with autism represents a massive need in the community. The new clinic will focus on intensive behavioral intervention, ABC4 reported.
This is a proven scientific method that aims to teach kids new skills while also bringing down challenging behaviors. The method works to assist children in being able to stand on their own through individualized strategies.
Dr. Casey Clay, the clinical director, said that it is the gold standard in autism treatment. Maday added that the new clinic has several larger rooms and spaces that were built so as to have the "appropriate distance to see an eye chart."
A news release noted that there has been a historic care gap in Utah and surrounding states when it comes to helping kids with autism. This means that there has been a lack of programs for families to receive care for their kids quickly, as per KSLTV.
