Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital Announces New Autism Clinic, $3M Gift for Autism Services

Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital is opening a new specialized clinic in Utah for children with autism, and is expanding services thanks to a $3 million gift from a Utah businessperson and philanthropist and her family in support of the Primary Promise campaign to build the nation’s model health system for children.

The new Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Clinic is now open at the Primary Children’s Outpatient Services building at Intermountain Riverton Hospital. The opening marks a major milestone in expanded autism services for children and helps meet a rapidly growing need in the community.

“We want children with autism and their families to know that we’re with you on this journey,” said Katy Welkie, chief executive officer of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and vice president of Intermountain Children’s Health. “With expanded autism services, we can help children thrive.”

“None of this would be possible without our generous community, helping turn bold visions of building a model health system for children into reality. We’re so grateful,” Welkie added.

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disability that manifests in differences in behavior. Nationally, 1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder. That equates to about 25,000 children in Utah.

Historically, there’s been a care gap in Utah and surrounding states, meaning there aren’t enough programs for families to receive care quickly, or providers who can diagnose autism, evaluate developmental disabilities, and provide services and treatments to children.

Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital is helping close this gap by expanding services, including the new Applied Behavior Analysis Clinic at Intermountain Riverton Hospital.

“We’re proud to bring world-class pediatric care close to home for so many families in partnership with Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital,” said Todd Neubert, president of Intermountain Riverton Hospital. “Together we’re ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive. And today, our story begins an exciting new chapter.”

The Applied Behavior Analysis Clinic provides vital services, including early intensive services such as behavioral assessment, individual therapy, and group therapy services for children ages 2-6 years old.

The clinic is part of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital’s multi-year effort to improve services for children diagnosed with autism.

“This is a huge milestone in our ability to help children with autism who have complex needs,” said Casey Clay, MD, program director of ABA Services for Intermountain Children’s Health. “It’s completely natural for parents to feel overwhelmed after an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. But they’re not alone. With expanded services and the new ABA center, we can help families better connect to the supports and treatments children need to reach their full potential.”

Expanded autism services are made possible through donations to Intermountain Health’s Primary Promise campaign to build the nation’s model health system for children.

Primary Promise, shared by Intermountain Health and community philanthropic support, has surpassed its $600 million fundraising target thanks to community generosity. As a result, leaders were able fund critical expansion of autism services.

“Autism services are crucial for healthy children and communities,” said Gail Miller, Primary Promise executive campaign cabinet co-chair, who is also a philanthropist, businesswoman and Intermountain Health Board Chair Emeritus. “With your help, Primary Promise is enabling life-changing advancements for children’s wellbeing. I encourage every community member to join us in helping more children grow up healthier and feel supported.”

The Primary Promise campaign and plan to enhance children’s care inspired Sandi Summer Hendry, along with her family and company Minky Couture, to make a $3 million gift at the ABA Clinic opening. The donation marks Hendry’s second gift to Primary Promise; the first was $1 million donation to the Newborn Intensive Care initiative.

“It was an honor and blessing to give and help the Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital Lehi campus NICU,” said Hendry, founder and chief executive officer of Minky Couture. “It will be my honor and privilege to contribute to autism services to help the thousands who are pleading for help as they face this diagnosis of their precious loved ones. Both donations are near and dear to my heart.”

Support for expanded autism services is critical to support kids like Lily, a happy 13-year-old Utah teen who loves fashion and all things Taylor Swift.

Her smile lights up a room, and her family couldn’t be more grateful for the services and caregivers who helped her shine in the years following her autism diagnosis.

“The first issue we had to overcome was anxiety – massive, debilitating anxiety – that was really preventing her from being who she is,” said her mom, Carrie. “I have found that the care providers here had such a focus on their job, which was not to hide who Lily is, and not change her personality, but to remove the anxiety so she could shine, and we could see who the real Lily is.”

Lily thanked both the Miller and Hendry families for seeing the needs of people with autism and supporting Primary Promise’s Autism Services expansion. She painted and gave an art piece for each family, then joined them in cutting the ribbon on the new ABA Clinic.

Her parents couldn’t be prouder.

“It’s amazing to have someone in your house who sees the world differently than you do, because we all think we see it the same,” said Lily’s dad, Roger. “She’s taught us how to see love, she’s taught us how to care about people, she’s taught us what’s important. She’s a gift.”

To learn more about Primary Children’s Autism Services, visit PrimaryChildrens.org/AutismServices. To donate, visit PrimaryPromise.org.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Images and video available upon request.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.