By: Jerry Gaughan – Development Director – Laughlin Children’s Center
At Laughlin Children’s Center, our mission is to empower special needs children in Western Pennsylvania with the skills they need for a successful life. Our mission manifests through clinical and academic services. These services include speech therapy, occupational therapy, psychological therapy, academic tutoring, and Orton Gillingham instruction for dyslexic children.
We provide over 10,000 appointments to 2,100 individual children in the region each year. Our philosophy is early detection for children to give the proper treatment or educational plan when a child needs help. A key component of our program is a screening program where we work with preschools and grade schools in the region where clinicians visit the schools to provide these screenings.
Laughlin Children’s Center fits within the mission of the Allegheny County Medical Society Foundation in that we improve healthcare through education, advocacy, and service. In addition, we both strive for a healthy region with compassionate medical care.
In 2023, a generous grant from the Allegheny County Medical Foundation provided $8,500 of our annual $15,000 screening budget. With this grant, the Allegheny County Medical Society and its members partner with Laughlin Children’s Center to provide 1,015 screenings at 41 regional schools. These screenings resulted in 248 referrals for services at Laughlin Children’s Center or another provider.
This support is significant in that it provides these screenings while freeing up the money we would normally use for screening to provide financial aid to children in need.
In summary, the $8,500 grant from the Allegheny County Medical Society helped 1,015 children in the region and was directly responsible for helping 248 children receive the clinical and academic care needed for a better life.
To learn more about the Laughlin Children’s Center, visit their website: https://laughlincenter.org/