Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a large construction project on Oct. 13 and officially began construction on Nov. 14. The project will include a 14,700-square-foot addition and renovation of Schreiber's current facility.

The multimillion-dollar project will allow Schreiber Pediatric to offer a greater range of services to a larger number of children in the area with special needs and reduce the likelihood that patients will be placed on a waiting list for critical treatment. "We have waitlists that can be up to two years long. If a child has to wait that long to walk or speak, they may not overcome their challenges if their needs aren't met in a timely manner," said James DeBord, president of Schreiber Pediatric. "This new space will be a game changer; it will mean that more children will be able to walk, speak and live out their dreams like any other child."

The project is estimated to take 15 to 16 months to complete and will wrap up in early 2024. The addition will be completed in the project's first phase, followed by the building renovations in the second phase. The key benefits to the larger space include allowing Schreiber Pediatric to treat 500 more children a year and the ability to hire over a dozen new therapists to meet the increasing demand. The addition will include a new department for physical therapy, and the current physical therapy department will be converted into a facility for traumatic brain injury treatment. Upgrades will also be made to the occupational therapy department.

DeBord said the largest obstacle in the last 10 years is keeping Schreiber Pediatric financially independent and stable. "Most organizations don't touch behavioral therapy because it loses money," said DeBord said. Most therapy services are reimbursed through health care programs like Medicaid, meaning there is little profit in the field. Nevertheless, DeBord and Schreiber Pediatric have remained committed to making behavioral therapy services available to the community. The organization began changing the way funds were raised and initiating more philanthropic efforts, as well as bringing in more therapy staff to reduce waitlists. After running out of room to host all of its patients and staff, Schreiber Pediatric began drawing up the plan for the expansion project.

Although Schreiber Pediatric has been able to raise a portion of the necessary funds, it still requires money to cover its regular yearly expenses on top of the project expenses. "No one else is doing what we do, and we're committed to making sure we can do it. This project will allow us to," said DeBord. For more information or to make a donation, visit http://www.schreiberpediatric.org.