GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Monday for the Heartland Center for Autism. The organization works to serve children and young adults with autism in Grand Rapids.
The center first opened in February. It is located off Eastern Avenue, not far from Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, which is where most of their patients come from.
The Heartland Center for Autism provides a short-term, multi-disciplinary approach to better serve adolescents on the spectrum.
The center can only accommodate a few kids at a time. However, they are looking to move into a larger facility in Grand Rapids to accommodate referrals coming in from the entire state.
“Unfortunately, these kids are going into inpatient or going into the emergency room is going home, and there is no intervention taking place,” said Heartland Center for Autism Executive Clinical Director Jacqueline Fedorowich. She went on to say, “So, our goal is to really break that cycle, and help these kids learn the skills that they need and help the families learn how to work with those, those kids directly.”
