Disability advocates will launch program to help transition hospital patients to home care

Achieva received a $1 million grant from health insurer Highmark for the program.

By PATRICK VARINE
TribLive

Across Pennsylvania’s health systems, hundreds of children with disabilities or complex medical conditions live in hospitals or extended-care pediatric facilities instead of with their families.

Pittsburgh nonprofit Achieva plans to launch a comprehensive home transition program in 2026 to help those children and families.

“Every child deserves to grow up in a loving family environment, not in a hospital room,”Achieva President and CEO Steve Suroviec said.

Research consistently shows children thrive best when living with families rather than in institutional settings, with improved developmental outcomes and stronger family bonds.

However, transitioning such children to home — or keeping them home in the first place — often requires intensive case management. That requires a nurse, home-based medical equipment and technology, respite for the parents or caregivers and expensive home modifications.

Achieva received a $1 million grant from health insurer Highmark for the program. Officials said government funding frequently moves too slowly or falls short of families needs.

“This program represents exactly the kind of community-based solution that can transform lives while reducing long-term health care costs,” said Kenya Boswell, Highmark senior vice president of community affairs and chair of the Highmark Foundation.

The program aims to provide:

• Case management and clinical oversight.

• Rapid problem-solving without bureaucratic delays.

• Direct funding for the types of home modifications necessary to bring a child with a complex medical illness back home to their family.

• Support for technology and medical equipment.

• A medical director and specialized staff to coordinate care.

“This generous support from Highmark will allow us to build service capacity and remove barriers that keep medically complex children separated from their families, creating a clear pathway home,” Suroviec said.

The initiative is one part of Achieva’s larger goal: “Beyond Boundaries,” a $15 million fundraising campaign that will allow it to expand all aspects of service.

Seeking job opportunities

Another aspect is partnering with businesses to create job opportunities for people with disabilities, working to connect them with jobs in areas where they are passionate and helping them create a path to independence when it is available.

“I have cerebral palsy, and my mom was telling me I shouldn’t try to find another job because I had applied for several jobs and gotten rejected,” said Kristen Lasser of Blairsville. “She wanted me to quit looking, was afraid I’d get hurt.”

Achieva’s Center for Supported Decision Making works with families in guardianship situations, providing specialized training and individualized support, and aiming to reduce reliance on guardianships.

In recent years, Lasser has worked as a circulation clerk at the Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe and at a local Walmart.

“I don’t think my parents and family should be in charge of my life decisions,” Lasser said. “I would involve them, but I should decide. Achieva helped me work through that with my mom, set goals for myself and my future decisions.”

Achieva supports more than 10,000 Pennsylvanians with disabilities annually through housing, care-giving, employment, and advocacy programs.

For more, see Achieva.info.