03/17/11 - George R. Johnson Family Foundation awards grant to SCI

The George R. Johnson Family Foundation is the philanthropic arm of a family in the region that owns several Hardee's restaurant franchises in north Hamilton County, Meigs County and Bradley County in southeastern Tennessee. The foundation recently awarded Siskin Children's Institute a significant three-year grant. Last autumn, the Institute submitted a request to the foundation for grant support to fund initial assessments for children receiving services at the Institute's Center for Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics.

In Tennessee, 16.4 percent of children younger than 18 have a special need that requires services of a pediatrician with developmental and behavioral subspecialty training. Early intervention for a child with mild to severe developmental disabilities is critical to ensure the greatest chance of success in school and life. Early intervention improves a child’s overall health, cognitive ability, educational success and quality of life through adulthood.

Developmental behavioral assessments are time and expertise intensive, taking three or more hours for the first assessment and often requiring additional visits to reach a point of diagnosis. Unfortunately, insurance reimbursement rates fall far short of the actual cost of this kind of subspecialty health care, putting a financial strain on many families to make up the difference. Over a three-year period, the George R. Johnson Family Foundation will award a total grant gift of $150,000 to cover the costs for initial assessments at the pediatric center for many children.

The Institute thanks the foundation for its generous support that will help make life better for children with special needs and their families.