UC Irvine will receive $14 million in public and private funds to expand autism research and create a comprehensive clinic that will offer autism diagnostic services and treatment.
The gift, to be announced today, comes from the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, which allocates state tobacco tax money, and the William and Nancy Thompson Family Foundation in Newport Beach. The latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say as many as 1 in 88 children nationwide have autism.
The $7 million from each group will fund drug discovery research and create the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders of Southern California, which will be headed by pediatric neurologist Joseph Donnelly.
"I'm thrilled and overjoyed," Donnelly said. "We have always really felt that partnering with, supporting and educating families is critical. Now we hope to be able to do that in a much more comprehensive, robust and in-depth way."
The funds will dramatically expand the services at Donnelly's existing clinic in Orange, located near UC Irvine Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Orange County. He expects to triple the staff of 15 and begin seeing patients up to age 22 rather than only children up to age 6.
The new center will offer services in psychology, physical, occupational and speech therapy and nutrition. CHOC will fund several positions at the center, including a neurologist and psychologist.
Donnelly said children now receive a medical diagnosis but then must be referred out for other types of evaluation as well as for treatment. He said that will begin changing in the spring.
"We'll be able to have a team, a one-stop shop where families can come and get full evaluations and treatment," Donnelly said. "They won't have to travel all over Orange County."
He said most types of insurance will continue to be accepted, including CalOptima, the county's Medi-Cal program.
Michael Ruane, executive director of the Children and Families Commission, said autism is an important area because of the growing prevalence. Autism is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
"The earlier you can identify and intervene, the better are the outcomes for those children and families," Ruane said. "That's what drove it as a priority investment."
William Thompson, chairman of the foundation and former CEO of Pimco, said he and his wife became interested in autism after their daughter worked with children with the disorder. In 2005, they gave $8.5 million for an autism and research center at his alma mater, the University of Missouri at Columbia.
"It just was kind of inspirational to us," Thompson said. "In our home region, the idea that there wasn't anything like this, it just seemed like a really important opportunity."
The Thompson foundation is also giving $800,000 to Chapman University to fund two educational initiatives with the center.
Donnelly's autism clinic can be reached at 714-939-6118.
Contact the writer: 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/autism-380485-children-center.html
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