Autism New Jersey Announces Medical Equipment Lending Library
January 12, 2024
Applauds Congressman Smith and the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration
Autism New Jersey is proud to announce the launch of its Medical Equipment Lending Library as one of its many initiatives to reduce the health disparity experienced by the autism community. Many individuals with autism struggle to find access to high-quality and compassionate healthcare. The barriers to healthcare for autistic patients are numerous, and for some, their learning differences and challenging behaviors may make medical interactions in a typical healthcare setting nearly impossible.
Autism New Jersey is poised to help address this need. Made possible by a $200,000 congressional earmark secured by New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith and administered by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, this program will allow qualified autism service providers and education settings to request the use of several different types of medical equipment for varying lengths of time for use with their students or clients.
“The hardworking, dedicated staff at Autism New Jersey—under the excellent leadership of Executive Director Dr. Suzanne Buchanan—has made a profound difference in the lives of so many individuals with autism living in our state who face additional burdens in accessing quality care and services,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), who has authored four major laws to combat autism, including the Autism CARES Act of 2019—which provides $1.8 billion to fund research, early detection and treatment for children and adults with autism through this fiscal year.
“The new Medical Equipment Lending Library—made possible in part by the congressional earmark I secured on their behalf—will allow them to help even more families touched by autism by expanding access to the critical care and services they need and deserve.”
Dr. Buchanan discusses special needs accommodations with U.S. Congressman Smith and his Deputy Chief of Staff, Jo Smith Schloeder.
With access to appropriate medical equipment and the help of a multidisciplinary team, behavioral professionals can successfully increase cooperation from patients with autism and decrease interfering or unsafe behaviors within healthcare settings. When practiced and reinforced in individualized and systematic ways outside of healthcare settings, these behaviors can be successfully generalized to real medical settings and procedures.
Qualified settings that are Autism New Jersey Organization Members with appropriate clinical staff to effectively implement interventions are invited to apply>>