If you or a family member has a disability, you already know the entire process can be difficult and time consuming, from tracking down medical specialists to sorting out insurance coverage. That’s why the Collaboration Center Foundation is so valuable. Think of it as a one-stop resource to guide you in the right direction. Co-founder and executive director Cindy Goussak shares further details on the nonprofit’s mission.
What does the Collaboration Center Foundation do?
“Let's say a first-grade teacher tells a parent, ‘You know, something just seems off. I can't put my finger on it. Go talk to your pediatrician.’ Well, pediatricians' offices are busy. They might refer a family to one place for an assessment, only for the family to call and find out there's a six-month wait. And once they receive the assessment, then what? They have to find their own service providers for therapies, whether it’s applied behavioral analysis, speech therapy, or whatever it is. Parents have to navigate this on their own. And then they call places and perhaps their insurance isn't taken. So we do the legwork.”
Do you help people of all ages with disabilities?
“Absolutely. From early childhood all the way through adulthood. So any age, any disability. It could be as simple as a child having ADHD or dyslexia to someone having Down syndrome or a heart condition and those who are deaf or blind.
“One in 34 kids are diagnosed with some form of autism. When you consider that we have a city of more than 2 million people, that’s a lot of diagnoses. And generally, someone does not have just a single disability. So, they might be on the autism spectrum, but they could also have a speech delay, and they might also have ADHD, and then often there's some mental health components to go with that as well, which we address on campus.”
Do you help families navigate and minimize costs as well?
“Everything we provide is free. We do have a five-acre campus with on-site providers — we call them facility partners — who provide services. They pay rent, which helps keep the lights on. We have a state Medicaid office on our campus to help manage the entanglement that comes with state and federal programs. We’re always going to direct families and individuals to where they need to be. If someone is well off and willing to pay for services, we’ll direct them to vendors who are direct-pay.”
The campus is a beautiful space in the Southwest Valley that’s known as the Las Vegas Ranch. It will host the 4th Annual Night en Blanc Gala (an annual fundraiser) on September 26 and Harvesting Hope, a resource fair on November 16 with kids activities and more than 40 vendors to discuss services. The ranch is also available to rent for third-party private events.
