Damar launches workforce program to aid autism care shortage
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A nearly $800,000 Lilly Endowment grant is propelling a new Damar Services initiative to combat the shortage of medical professionals who care for children with autism.
The new program will offer nine to 12 months of paid training, certification and entry-level employment as Registered Behavior Technicians at Damar. Those workers will then assist autism clinicians at Damar’s Applied Behavior Analysis clinics.
“The initiative is focused on high school graduates who are at a point where they’re planning their futures, interested in working with children, and looking for opportunities for upward mobility,” Dr. Kristin McCoy said in a news release. “We’ll pay them to train and they’ll be eligible to earn the Registered Behavioral Therapy certificate, which makes them qualified to work in a Damar ABA clinic.”
The Lilly Endowment supported the project through the Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana initiative with a $796,000 grant.
“Indiana’s youth-serving organizations are crucial to the healthy development of children and youth across the state,’ said Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education, in the release. “The challenges these organizations have faced in meeting the needs of young people in recent years have made their work increasingly difficult. Lilly Endowment is pleased to support their efforts to strengthen programs and serve more youth more effectively.”
Damar operates multiple ABA autism clinics throughout Indianapolis and in Avon.