Expanding to do a crucial job even better Felice and Richard Brenner and John Burress: ABC of NC: Giving people with autism a fair shake

People with autism in Winston-Salem deserve a chance.

That's why we break ground Wednesday on the 26,000-square foot ABC of NC Autism Clinic, part of our planned $6.5 million expansion. Due to open summer 2018, the facility on Friedberg Church Road will provide a chance for early diagnosis, treatment and life-skills training for our underserved autism community.

With one in 58 North Carolina individuals born today diagnosed "on the spectrum," you probably know someone who has autism. We certainly do - we have family members living with the developmental disorder.

But we are among the lucky few as our loved ones had access to the proven therapies that allowed them to learn, grow and adapt so that they can live independent, successful lives. Most people with autism didn't get that opportunity ... until now.

Thanks to the heroic efforts of a group that championed North Carolina's Christopher's Law in 2016, our state was the 43rd in the country to require many insurance companies to cover ABA, or applied behavior analysis, the nation's most commonly prescribed and successful treatment method.

This, along with recent news that Medicaid is covering ABA for autism, is a vital funding step forward for our families. But funding without accessibility means that people with autism are still without help. The sad reality is that there are only a handful of organizations in our area that provide the evidence-based therapies outlined in this law. And the sites licensed to provide services have waiting lists a mile long - ABC of NC is forced to turn away hundreds of families who desperately need us.

Since 2002, our organization has been at the forefront of autism service delivery in the Piedmont Triad, providing the highest quality, dedicated, specialized autism programming. But over the past several years, we've seen unprecedented pressure to expand. The recent insurance legislation, population growth, advances in evidence-based autism services; increased prevalence of autism; and a greater number of families able to access funding for behavioral services have fueled this demand.

ABC of NC's new facility addresses the troubling unmet need with the first comprehensive autism diagnostic, therapeutic, educational and behavioral services facility in the area. We currently serve 350 children annually and employ 50 people. We expect to more than double our capacity and staff size within two years.

As autism affects every community population with equal prevalence, our mission underscores our dedication to ensure accessibility to individuals from any economic background. We are serving more of our community's autism population by accepting private health insurance and Medicaid; supporting educational services with our own financial aid program; collaborating with other developmental disablity providers and educators, and adding additional programming for teens and young adults.

Today's groundbreaking marks the early success of the ABC of NC "Hello World" capital campaign, which has raised more than $4.2 million so far. Thanks to generous lead gifts, the campaign means ABC of NC will build our long awaited Autism Clinic, offering shorter wait times for diagnosis and greater access to vocational and independent living skills training while increasing the availability of direct therapeutic and educational interventions for children of all ages.

With the new construction, ABC of NC will establish our area's first autism services campus, thoughtfully designed to house our variety of innovative programs and services. With our generous community's support, ABC of NC's newly exapanded location - complete with an existing school building and seven buildable acres - allows us to do more of what we already do so well: provide hope and a brighter future for individuals with autism and their families. We're building a mock apartment, barber shop, doctor's office and a job training facility - all in an effort to integrate people with autism into our community with dignity and the skills they need to live as independently as possible.

Supporters already include Reynolds American Foundation, Wake Forest Baptist Health, The Cannon Foundation, The Golden LEAF Foundation, BB&T, The Winston-Salem Foundation, Richard J. III and Marie M. Reynolds Foundation, First Tennesssee and hundreds of individual donors.

Short of the organization's founding, there is no more exciting time to be involved in the life of ABC of NC. This project draws upon the generosity of the entire community and firmly establishes ABC of NC as not just a local leader in autism services, but a player at the state and national levels.

Thank you Winston-Salem for giving our loved ones with autism the chance they need.

For more information, visit www.abcofnc.org.

Felice and Richard Brenner and John Burress are the chairs of ABC of NC's "Hello World" Capital Campaign.