The Adult and Pediatric Institute is a private mental and behavioral health practice that provides psychiatric services, including evaluations, medication management, and therapy, for children, adolescents, and adults, with a specialization in autism evaluation and support and a focus on evidence-based, compassionate, and integrated care. Pulse 2.0 interviewed The Adult and Pediatric Institute co-founder and CEO Nicole Clark to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Nicole Clark’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Clark said:
“I am a Florida native, but spent 5.5 years living in San Diego when I was a Corpsman in the Navy. That is where I fell in love with the medical field and helping others. After I left the military, I continued to work in the medical field and go to school, where I ultimately got a Master’s in Nursing Administration and Leadership. I have two beautiful daughters who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and faced many challenges navigating the system and trying to get a proper evaluation and diagnostic picture for them. That is when I decided to shift my focus from caring for adults in the hospital setting to caring for the pediatric special needs population. The Adult and Pediatric Institute was formed to disrupt the mental and behavioral health space by merging the most evidence-based mental and behavioral health therapies to treat the whole child as well as the family unit. People are complex, and the current healthcare model being delivered in silo’s creates preventable complications and undue stress on the individual. By treating all aspects of a person’s mental well-being through a collaborative approach by a team of qualified providers, we are able to cater to every need of the individual, which improves outcomes.”
Formation Of The Non-Profit
How did the idea for the non-profit come together? Clark shared:
“I would frequently get calls from families that were struggling to find answers for their child, but would never be able to afford our services. We are one of the few providers that never has a waitlist, and I knew if they couldn’t afford us, they would languish on a waitlist for an evaluation for possibly 1-2 years. I turned to the community to help us solve this problem, and that is when the Foundation was created. It has created a way for low/no-income families, families without insurance, or families with children who are medically complex to access our high level of care without sitting on massive waitlists through donations and contracts with other nonprofits and government entities.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the non-profit so far? Clark reflected: ” Every day we get to work with families who have lost hope in the healthcare system, the government, and the school system, and we are in a unique position that we get to renew their hope that there are people out there who truly care. We have walked in their shoes as parents of special needs kids, and we recognize the importance of a sense of community on both the personal and professional level. We do not just provide high-quality care; we are also creating a community of special needs parents who are able to support each other and lift each other up. No one should have to go through this journey alone, and the Adult and Pediatric Institute and the Foundation is making sure no one has to.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of your non-profit’s most significant milestones? Clark cited:
“Our contract with the Children’s Services Council of Martin County and the Community Foundation of Martin and St. Lucie County is the first time an entity funded by tax dollars is helping to decrease the wait for autism and psychiatric evaluations. The one-year anniversary of the program is coming up, and it has helped 17 children and families get off waitlists and get access to answers and treatment. This program has also set a precedent of caring for those most in need in the community, which has allowed other nonprofits to develop similar funding pools to help even more children in need.”
Success Stories
When asking Clark about success stories, she highlighted:
“The families that come see us often have a very complex past. Their child has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals, kicked out of schools, and the parents are at risk of losing their jobs due to call-outs and becoming homeless. Without an accurate diagnosis, you cannot create an appropriate treatment plan. After seeing us, we are able to get these families the therapies and support they need to keep their home, apply for social security income, and get access to health insurance, such as Medicaid. These are families that are often at their breaking point, and we are able to positively change the trajectory of not the child’s life but the whole family unit.”
Number Of Kids Helped
Can you discuss how many kids you help? Clark revealed:
“We have some of the largest autism evaluation programs of their kind in the country and evaluate almost 100 kids a year for autism and other psychiatric comorbidities. This gives us access to certain metrics (how long have they waited for an evaluation, their age at the first evaluation, what access to services they have had) which are tracked through our research division to help guide future legislation.”
Differentiation From Other Non-Profits
What differentiates your non-profit from others? Clark affirmed:
“We are unique in that we are not just professionals in the field (Psychiatrist, Mental Health and Trauma Registered Nurse, Psychometrist, Neuropsychologist, etc.), we are also parents of special needs kids. We have lived this lif,e and it gives us a certain level of passion and empathy that others may not have. We can connect families with resources that other professionals may not know exist because we have had to navigate the special needs parenting world ourselves.”
Challenges Faced
When asking Clark about some of the challenges faced while working at the non-profit, she acknowledged:
“One of the biggest challenges is knowing that we will not be able to help everyone. Our funds are limited, and there are families that we have to refer out. We try to stay in communication with other providers in the field and stay up to date with waitlists so that we are making appropriate referrals but it is tough knowing that because they can’t get in with us, they will sit on a waitlist for the evaluation, which will delay access to services.”
Future Goals
What are some of your non-profit’s future goals? Clark concluded:
“Our goal is to increase funding and awareness of what is going on with autism evaluation waitlists and how this negatively impacts families and decreases access to early intervention. Our research team is collecting data and working with legislators to create a bill related to Autism evaluations and provider education so that children are not having to go without a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.”
