News Release
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December 21, 2005
Christmas Day Marks 100 Days of Assistance by BSU-based
AUTISMCARES to Families Affected by the Hurricane
In the months since Hurricane Katrina devastated lives and families, Boise
State University-based AutismCares has made a huge impact in helping
families with autistic children get their lives back on track. More than 126
families have been directly assisted, hundreds more have been supported in
other ways, more than $98,000 has been spent to coordinate or provide
housing and supplies and 46 beds have been procured for at least 14
families.
Christmas Day marks 100 days since the relief effort began. An
estimated 53,000 families with children who have autism were affected by the
hurricanes. Through its partner organizations, AutismCares has raised more
than $120,000 for the relief and recovery program managed by the Boise State
University Center of Health Policy. In-kind donation offers were received
from more than 700 people from across the country.
A consortium of leading autism organizations spearheading a national
emergency relief and recovery initiative, AutismCares was created in
September to coordinate support for the unique needs of thousands of Gulf
Coast families affected by autism. AutismCares subsequently assisted
families affected by hurricanes Rita and Wilma. Children with autism often
require intensive biomedical and behavioral therapies and thoroughly planned
routines. AutismCares created a network to support families whose struggle
with autism was intensified by natural disaster, forced relocation and
scarce resources.
AutismCares facilitated temporary/permanent relocation support, mobilized
specialty assistance teams and provided autism-conscious supplies directly
to affected families and the professionals caring for them. To address
long-term needs, AutismCares is advocating and implementing proactive
rehabilitation and assistance programs in coordination with officials from
other relief agencies in an effort to help families begin to rebuild their
lives.
�AutismCares really helped my family,� said Linda Davis, who temporarily
relocated to Texas with her daughter and son affected by autism after
Katrina hit. �We were living in our car because we were asked to leave the
hotel when my son continuously made high-pitched screams, which is common
when he gets upset. AutismCares paid for us to get an apartment, replaced
the battery in our car and made sure I had what I needed to take care of my
kids until we could return home. I could not have done it without them.�
AutismCares encouraged families affected by autism that were in the
prospective path of hurricanes to register at www.autismcares.org and
provided registered families with emergency assistance as soon as the storms
passed through their impacted area. More than 320 families have been
registered on the AutismCares database, including more than 200 families who
pre-registered before evacuating hurricanes Rita and Wilma. All of these
families were called after the storms hit to determine the level of
assistance they needed.
Other highlights of AutismCares� ongoing efforts:
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AutismCares� �Holiday Help a Child� program assisted 211 children by posting their stories and wish lists on the AutismCares Web site (www.autismcares.org). Each child was matched up with a generous donor who provided items specific to each child�s needs and wants.
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Trained therapists from The Help Group are available at Emergency Grief Hotline, (866) 966-9222, a 24-hour-a-day toll-free number established to provide crisis counseling to families of children with autism affected by the recent natural disasters.
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In October, AutismCares facilitated the first telehealth evaluation for an evacuated Katrina family to assess a child�s condition, and to provide legal record for an out-of-state school to receive the child. The child�s medical records had been lost during the storm.
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Case managers and volunteer interns from Boise State University handled 70 family needs assessments.
�Through this unprecedented effort, we�ve
provided critical assistance to families facing unique pressures under
extraordinary circumstances,� said Peter Bell, CEO of Cure Autism Now, an
AutismCares managing partner. �We�ve made a real difference and we will
continue to do more.�
�Families of children with autism already bear a remarkable burden, so the
work of AutismCares in alleviating the problems faced by families whose
lives have been so deeply disrupted is especially crucial,� said Alison
Singer, senior vice president of Autism Speaks, another AutismCares managing
partner. �This remarkable coordinated effort will serve as an important
model should the need for a similar mobilization arise again.�
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Contact: Uwe Reischl, Center for Health Policy, (208) 426-2445,
ureischl@boisesetate.edu
Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, University Communications, (208)
426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu
Peter Bell, Cure Autism Now, can be reached at (323) 549-0460; Alison
Singer, Autism Speaks, can be reached at (212) 252-8540.
About AutismCares
AutismCares is an initiative coordinated
through the Center for Health Policy at Boise State University that includes
Autism Speaks, Cure Autism Now, First Signs, TalkAutism, the Southwest
Autism Research and Resource Center, Unlocking Autism, The Help Group and
Princeton Autism Technology.
Visit www.autismcares.org for
additional information about: the AutismCares relief initiative; current
newsroom information; aid coordination for families living with autism;
online registration forms for in-kind donations of transportation,
accommodations, therapy and respite services; how to sign up to volunteer;
and information on products needed for care packages. Trained therapists
from The Help Group are also available at (866) 966-9222 24 hours a day to
provide crisis counseling to families living with autism who are affected by
Katrina, Rita or Wilma. The legal account of AutismCares is housed within
the Boise State University Foundation, c/o Center for Health Policy. The
Center for Health Policy provides fiscal oversight as well as resources to
ensure expedient and compliant public health policy and support.
About Autism
Autism is one of the fastest-growing and most prevalent childhood
developmental disorders in the United States, affecting as many as one in
every 166 births (source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Autism is a neurological disorder that interferes with normal development in
language, intuitive thought, social interaction and an ability to connect
with surroundings. Approximately half of all children with autism are unable
to communicate their needs using spoken words. Most are unable to
accommodate changes in their daily routines. Associated problems include
hyperactivity, self-injurious behavior, sleeplessness, eating disorders and
gastrointestinal problems. Order and consistently administered therapeutic
interventions are critical to the affected child and family�s well being.
Boise State University is the largest institution of higher education in
Idaho with about 18,600 students and 2,200 faculty and staff. More than 190
undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and technical degrees are offered within
eight colleges. A metropolitan university located in the capital city, Boise
State is committed to life-enhancing research, teaching excellence and
public service.
The Office of Communications and Marketing
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Boise State University
1910 University Drive -
Education Building, #726 -
Boise Idaho 83725-1030
208-426-1577
(fax)208-426-4001
email communications@boisestate.edu
Last reviewed on Wednesday, February 01, 2006