The Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning, a key provider of care and support for Utah families with children living with autism spectrum disorder, has announced plans to relocate from its Guardsman Way location near Sunnyside Park, where it has been situated since 2001. The center, part of Valley Behavioral Health, is exploring a new location on the west or southwest side of the Salt Lake Valley to improve accessibility for the families it serves.
According to Julie Winn, vice president of children, youth, and family services at Valley Behavioral Health, a primary driver of relocation is reducing geographic barriers to care. “About 75% of our clients live outside of Salt Lake City, particularly about 30% are within the West Valley area,” she said. Transportation distance presents a significant challenge, especially for families with limited financial resources. “You have the rising gas prices and people with Medicaid—it’s, do I pay for the gas to get to the facility, or do I pay for food? And so really, the biggest focus for us is being able to bring our facility to where our clients are,” Winn explained.
Service Expansion and Community Input
More than 80 children are currently enrolled in programs at the Pingree Center. The organization is confident that relocation will help it reach existing clients more effectively and serve new clients more efficiently. Winn noted that autism and applied behavior analysis services have evolved significantly since the facility opened. “Pingree was built in 2001—autism services, ABA services, mental health services, have definitely changed, and we’ve outgrown what our building is able to do,” she said. Over the next year and a half, the organization will gather input from families currently using the service and resource providers to determine what gaps in care should be addressed and what other needs a new facility should include.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://headtopics.com/news/pingree-center-eyes-relocation-to-provide-convenient-access-83173729