West Bloomington, Minn., March 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Bloomington, Minn. (March 5, 2020)—As the need for autism services continues to rise, Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers is expanding into Minnesota to bring higher quality care and more convenient options to the state’s families. Backed by more than a decade of experience, Hopebridge will open its first location at 6300 W Old Shakopee Road, Suite 102 in West Bloomington, with approximately 10 locations planned throughout Minnesota over the next 12 to 18 months.
Hopebridge’s Minnesota centers will ultimately create more than 550 new jobs to ensure every child receives one-on-one, intensive therapy. The coordinated, complementary teams will consist of top Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBA), registered behavior technicians (RBT), clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and other industry professionals.
“Ensuring children with autism have the best chance at the life they deserve is the driving force behind everything we do.” said Hopebridge CEO Dennis May. “By combining the proven, effective treatment of ABA therapy with other life-changing services under one roof, we have created hope for thousands of kids and are thrilled to make it accessible for so many more Minnesota families.”
Market research shows more than 75 percent of Minnesota’s children with autism get enrolled in occupational and/or speech therapy. To meet this need, Hopebridge plans to add occupational, speech and feeding therapies within the centers in the near future. This multidisciplinary approach, Hopebridge360TM, allows the team to create personalized plans of care aimed at improving patients’ communication, social behaviors and adaptive living skills.
Hopebridge’s center-based care offers a wide range of benefits to the Minnesota autism community, including:
- Diagnostic and applied behavior analysis evaluations – Now Scheduling
- State-of-the-art facilities designed specifically to enhance pediatric therapy for a spectrum of functioning levels
- Centers with approximately 20 rooms designed to reduce distractions and enhance therapy sessions, including specific rooms to focus on integration into a school environment
- Large gyms and playrooms to build gross and fine motor skills
- Socialization with peers to target specific social and pragmatic goals
- Parent training and education specifically designed to maximize the effects of therapy outside center walls
- A full-service Care and Benefits team to help families navigate their insurance coverage
Born and raised in St. Paul, Dr. Tamer Fawzy, Hopebridge’s Minnesota clinical psychologist, has been working with children on the autism spectrum for over a decade. “Early identification and diagnosis at a young age can have a significant impact on outcomes for children with autism,” said Dr. Fawzy. “With Hopebridge bringing its center-based therapy model to Minnesota, this will help address the growing need for autism services in the community.”
Early identification and intervention for children impacted by autism is critical for the success of the child. The new Hopebridge centers will ensure hundreds of children touched by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will have the chance to receive life-changing therapies they deserve. In an effort to reduce wait times, the West Bloomington location is currently scheduling diagnostic assessments and evaluations for applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy). The center will launch full-time and part-time ABA therapy programs in April 2020.
To schedule a diagnostic appointment or a private tour of a Hopebridge center, please visit at hopebridge.com/contact.
For a complete list of Hopebridge centers and services, visit hopebridge.com/centers.
About Hopebridge
Hopebridge was founded in 2005 to serve the growing need for autism treatment services and to improve the lives of affected children and families. Hopebridge is committed to providing personalized outpatient ABA, occupational, speech and feeding therapies for children touched by autism spectrum disorder and behavioral, physical, social, communication and sensory challenges. Hopebridge provides a trusted place where they can receive the care, support and hope they deserve. More than a decade later, Hopebridge continues to open state-of-the-art autism therapy centers in new communities to reach patients and families who need services. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Hopebridge operates in seven states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota and Ohio.
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