SUDBURY, Mass. — One in six children have a developmental disability--that’s according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. And hundreds of families in the Boston area are currently waiting months for speech and physical therapy services.
A Massachusetts mother who experienced that wait firsthand decided to address the issue by starting up a pediatric therapy service that jumps all the hurdles families face.
At just five months old, Cara Soccorso discovered her son had developmental delays and needed to find a physical therapist.
“We had started kind of the process of reaching out to different agencies and encountering just like a lot of barriers in terms of being able to be seen right away,” said Cara Soccorso of Sudbury.
Cara found several places—but they all had wait lists. And as time ticked away-she felt like every minute mattered.
“I think like for any parent who has any kind of a worry, the waiting is hard,” said Soccorso. “So to be told that we would have to wait weeks or months for appointments is really discouraging.”
Jennifer Wirt experienced the same thing with her daughter—waiting nearly a year to find a therapist.
“And really the whole time you just like watch your child fall behind and you think like, I’m failing as a parent,” said Jennifer Wirt, the Founder and CEO of Coral Care. “Like I had one job and I’m not doing it.”
That early parenting trauma stuck with Jennifer—so much that she decided to fix the problem so many other parents were facing. She created Coral Care—a website where you search for a pediatric therapist specific to your child’s needs.
“We handle all benefits, checking insurance coverage, and so that provider is going to come to your house, do an evaluation, come up with a personalized care plan,” said Wirt.
The wait time--no longer than two weeks from when a match is made online to the provider coming to your door for weekly sessions.
“Our family is very busy, and so it really takes out the scheduling gymnastics of trying to figure out who’s going to pick him up, who’s going to bring him, what’s the time going to look like,” said Soccorso.
“Getting a person to work with your child in a consistent ongoing way should not be adding to the stress of it all; it should be a relief,” said Wirt.
Another relief for parents is that Coral Care accepts most major health insurance plans in Massachusetts.
“It’s really life-changing for a lot of families who feel like they have to figure out what’s going to be the best for their child and how they can get them the right level of support,” said Soccorso.
Jennifer says if parents try to go through state programs, wait are averaging 12 months.
“We know there’s so many more families still waiting,” said Wirt. “We also know there are so many more clinicians who are looking to work more and do what they love. And so our goal is continue going in Massachusetts, but take what we’ve built and launch it in as many markets across the country as possible.”
Coral Care launched in Massachusetts two years ago and has providers from Boston to the Berkshires.
Coral Care works with hundreds of preschools, day cares, and YMCAs across the state.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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