| Name | Dave |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Buck |
| Home Address | 2535 Eagle Creek Way Signal Mountain, TN 37377 United States |
| Organization Name | Chattanooga Autism Center |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Executive Director |
| Organization Address | 1400 McCallie Ave, Suite 100 Chattanooga, TN 37404 United States |
| Website | https://chattanoogaautismcenter.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 423-531-6961 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 865-414-6669 |
| Email Address | dave@chattanoogaautismcenter.org |
| Alternate Email Address | buck.dave@gmail.com |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | This project involves expanding our Bridges Behavior Therapy Clinic into new space to increase access, provide training to the community, and open an inclusive pre-school. Our Bridges Behavior Therapy clinic currently offers intensive, individualized therapy for autistic children ages 2-6 who need significant behavioral support. This clinic has outgrown it's space at our current building. We've secured a second location large enough to allow us to serve more children in even more effective settings while doubling our capacity from 225 therapy hours per week to 450 hours per week and greatly reducing the time for dozens of families on our waitlist at any given time. We are building a state of the art sensory room, calm space, rooms for group and social activities, specialized bathrooms for toilet training, an outdoor area, and sensory-friendly rooms throughout. We will provide our clients with adaptive, fun spaces to practice their emerging skills safely. We will eventually open a small inclusive preschool in this space that is available to the public. This preschool will prepare our clinic clients for kindergarten and life in general as they build skills they can then practice in a safe, inclusive environment. We will use this new space to provide parent and educator training which will lead to positive changes in the academic and home environments for these children. The total project costs are $302,000. Approximately $200,000 goes towards construction, $42,000 for equipment, furniture, special door systems and cameras, and other materials, and $60,000 for an attached outdoor playground. The playground will be built in a later phase after the clinic is complete. We are raising funds from local grant foundations, private donors, and local businesses. The Bridges clinic is financially stable and will generate additional revenue once the new, larger space is complete and capacity increased. Our projections show that growing this clinic will then improve our ability to fund our other programs at our Center, including our outpatient clinic, adult transition program, support groups, music therapy, and more. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | Expanding the Bridges Behavioral Therapy clinic (1) increases access to behavioral and mental healthcare, (2) impacts families who are disproportionately more at risk, and (3) builds a path to universal early learning. 1) Increases Access to Behavioral and Mental Health Care: Research shows that autistic individuals experience health disparities. The children we serve often exhibit self-harming behaviors, aggressive behaviors, and elopement. Research shows that autistic individuals experience more trauma than typical developing children and are more likely to experience higher ACE scores (Adverse Childhood Experiences). The Bridges Clinic expansion doubles the amount of therapy hours available per week, meaning it can accept and serve more young autistic children and cut down the wait time for these services. Other regional therapy providers confirm that their waitlists are also long and demand is high for Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy. 2) Impacts families who are disproportionately more at risk and helps close the gaps in public health: Many young autistic children need support behaviorally, educationally, and socially, but there are socioeconomic barriers to accessing these vital supports. For example, we serve a disproportionately high number of low-income clients who cannot afford things like specialized private preschools or therapists who don’t take TennCare. Additionally, due to general lack of understanding about autism in the community, the children we serve have often been excluded from opportunities accessible to their neurotypical peers. We serve clients who have been kicked out of preschools or childcare programs. Our program will address these barriers both by providing individual therapy focused on kindergarten readiness, and by training therapists, teachers, parents, and others to be more accommodating and inclusive. The Bridges project will close gaps in public health by providing quality, evidence-based behavioral therapy to children with developmental disabilities - an underserved population. As an organization, the Chattanooga Autism Center is committed to promoting autism acceptance and understanding, destigmatizing developmental disabilities and working toward a community where autistic individuals are fully included and celebrated. 3) Builds a path to universal early learning: One of the primary therapeutic goals with our clients is kindergarten readiness. Our clinic uses a preschool model where 2-6 year old children learn pre-academic skills, participate in social activities such as circle time, and increase communication. Because we are a TennCare provider, our program is accessible to low-income families and most of our clients fall in this category. The new Bridges facility will be built to meet all school building requirements, and we will open a small inclusive preschool within 5 years which will be available to the public. We will use our program to educate future therapists and teachers by partnering with HCDE, local colleges, and other clinics, serving as a training ground and model for other similar programs. |
| Where would your project take place? | New clinic will be at 507 West 26th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408 |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 302000.00 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | Yes |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | As of January 2022, we have raised over $110,000 in received or pledged donations and grants, including $65k from foundation grants and $48k from community donations. |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | We're seeking funding for the portion of the project not already funded by grants and donations, which is $190,000. |
| If funded, when would your project start? | July 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 7 months. |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | The new clinic will be open and serving clients by December 2022. We will measure its success by observing an increase in therapy hours delivered per week, increased number of children receiving services, shorter waitlist for these services, and measurable, positive changes in social, behavioral, and academic outcomes for our clients. Applied Behavior Analysis relies on extensive behavioral evaluation and rigorous data collection and reporting, so the skills and behaviors learned in therapy are observable and measurable. Additionally, we will gauge success by the increased financial sustainability of the program and the organization as a whole. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | We will post regular updates on buildout progress to our stakeholders and funders. As per codes for licensure, the building will be inspected to pass criteria for clinical services and preschool services. Insurance providers also audit annually. As a 501c3 nonprofit, our 990 tax form and financials are open to the public and we will share our capital campaign budget as the project progresses. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The CDC estimates that approximately 1 in 44 children are diagnosed with autism. This means there are thousands of autistic individuals in the Chattanooga area. Research shows that early intervention is essential for many autistic children, and ABA therapy is the gold standard for teaching new skills, reducing harmful behaviors, and increasing communication. By moving to a bigger, more specialized building, our clinic will be able to double the amount of therapy hours provided. This will reduce our waitlist so families aren't waiting months for services. Within 5 years, this space will also include a specialized preschool where therapy clients interact with their typically-developing peers in an inclusive environment, easing their transition to kindergarten. This model is unique in our area and will meet the needs of children and families who have fallen through the cracks in other environments. While the clinic and preschool are relatively small, the impact on the community will be significant. The CAC has an internship program where undergraduate and graduate students get to observe and participate in various programs, including the Bridges Clinic. Because of their experience here, these interns often go on to become Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) or Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and work with autistic clients here and in other organizations. The Bridges Behavior Therapy Clinic will continue to be a training ground for future autism-trained therapists, and we plan to have opportunities for training/observation for teachers and other professionals as well. Having more professionals who are understanding, accepting, and inclusive of autistic individuals will benefit not just our clients but the community as a whole. Additionally, this move will financially benefit the CAC as a whole, allowing us to grow and/or stabilize other program such as music therapy, adult transition services, counseling, and community outreach and education. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | Our project has already attracted community buy-in from many key sources. We reached out to several organizations during the planning phases to get their input and support. We received very helpful direction regarding the need for more ABA therapy, more preschool options, and more training for service providers and educators. We also received valuable input on architectural design for the best possible clinical spaces as well as legal requirements and best practices for preschool buildings. After we finished our plans, all of the key organizations confirmed their desire to partner once the project is complete. We have received strong letters of support from the following institutions: Anna Shaw Children's Institute CIT Connect (Crisis Intervention Team) Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga Orange Grove Center Hamilton County Sheriff's Dept. Hamilton County Schools Signal Centers UTC Mosaic Program |
| Name | Anna Straussberger, Bridges Clinic Director |
| Contact Information | anna@chattanoogaautismcenter.org, 423-309-2570 |
| Name | Amber Doolittle, Assistant Director of CAC |
| Contact Information | amber@chattanoogaautismcenter.org, 423-708-8902 |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | The Chattanooga Autism Center began as a very small nonprofit with only two part-time employees in 2012 and has grown to become a major resource in Chattanooga with over 32 employees and serves over 6000 people annually. We've grown because of the support and trust we've gained from our partners in the community. We now collaborate with dozens of nonprofits and service organizations in our region. We partner with Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Chattanooga Police Department, and CIT Connect to deliver Crisis Intervention Training to regional law enforcement twice a year. We served on the Chattanooga Covid Taskforce and chaired the disability subgroup, ensuring the disability populations and providers were part of the conversation and the solutions. We served in a similar capacity on the Get Vaccinated Chattanooga project where we helped increase access to vaccines in under-vaccinated subgroups like the Black, Latinx, homeless, elderly, and disabled communities. We are active in Venture Forward and serve on the advisory board of the Chattanooga Nonprofit Alliance. We also helped reinvigorate the Chattanooga Area Employment Consortium and serve on the Hamilton County Community Advisory Board. We've worked with the Hamilton County Schools to increase inclusion in the classrooms and connect families of students with disabilities with the administration, especially during the myriad of changes during the pandemic. We provide autism and inclusion training to staff at the YMCA, TVA, UTC, Hamilton County Schools, TVFCU, and others. The Bridges Behavior Therapy expansion project aligns with the “One Chattanooga Strategic Plan” because it is impacting equity and equal access to education by preparing a marginalized population for Kindergarten and beyond. We are aligned with Hamilton County Schools goals and have their support. The Bridges Clinic's training component will lead to system change as local educators, parents, childcare providers and others build new skills and better understanding and acceptance of autistic individuals. We will see increased inclusion and policy changes in schools, childcare centers, and eventually businesses and the entire community. This project will help further de-stigmatize mental health issues and promote inclusion of people with developmental disabilities. Additionally, the new clinic builds on the hard work of the Chattanooga Autism Center's proven programs, many of which started as grassroots efforts and the work of parents, autistic individuals, and other advocates. The CAC collaborates and partners with dozens of local organizations, as well as experts and autistic individuals who lend us their lived experience. This expanded clinic will have a long-term future impact by increasing access to better jobs and stability of autistic adults, and ultimately impact the stability of our entire community. This project is not just addressing a single immediate need. Rather, it is designed to have a large, systemic, community-wide impact for years to come. We've put over a year of strategic planning into this expansion project to ensure it is successful and has an enormous impact on the client, on our community, and as well as on our nonprofit mission and the stability of our organization. We are attaching letters of support from key organizations that stress the importance of this project and their confidence in its success. We should also mention that the pandemic has been disproportionately more difficult for the families we serve. Gaps in access to therapy, education, and childcare for autistic individuals were widened by COVID-19. Our organization worked hard to safely provide access to our services and keep our staff employed and close those gaps. This program will allow our organization to become even more stable and resilient during future hardships and continue to move towards equitable solutions. For photos and other details about this project, please visit www.chattanoogaautismcenter.org/bridges |