We are expanding and rebranding !

Voorhees-based CNNH NeuroHealth is changing its name to NeurAbilities Healthcare, to better reflect its services. The rebranding includes a colorful new logo and a fresh website set to launch January 1. NeurAbilities will also open an 8,800-square-foot autism treatment center in King of Prussia in March. The new facility is the first step in a broader expansion planned through 2021. The organization is hiring approximately 75 additional staff members, which will double its workforce. The new employees will serve patients both at the new center and in homes across Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

“Our new brand and expansion are designed for one purpose: to provide effective services and compassionate supports for families coping with neurological and behavioral challenges,” said Kathleen Stengel, BCBA, chief executive officer of NeurAbilities. “There are so many families waiting for diagnosis and treatment for their children and loved ones,” she explained. “And the new center is just the first of several planned for Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which will greatly expand our capacity to help children and families with neurological and behavioral concerns and other developmental challenges,” said Mark Mintz, MD, chief medical officer and founder of NeurAbilities.

With autism rates rising both locally and nationally, the expansion will meet a growing need. Today, about one in 59 U.S. children is affected, with even higher rates in New Jersey, where one in 34 children is identified with the condition.

“The new facility will enable area families to receive an array of vital services from one coordinated source,” explained Dr. Mintz, a renowned neurologist who launched the organization in 2005 to address gaps in care for people with special needs. The new treatment center will complement NeurAbilities’ three existing facilities – including a nearby King of Prussia site (1010 W. 8th Ave., Suite 1), and New Jersey offices in Voorhees and Wall Township – which focus primarily on diagnostic services, medical care, and treatment planning.

State-of-the-art facility
Designed for children with autism, primarily from birth to age 5, but also older, the new center will include:
• Features that address sensory sensitivities, including special lighting and temperature controls.
• A specialized, homelike kitchen to help patients learn to sit and eat a meal, and to eat foods with different textures.
• A mock classroom to prepare children for school.
• An indoor playground, to help children learn a wide range of skills – from communication and socialization to physical abilities.
• Individual treatment rooms and group-therapy areas.

“Children will learn functional skills at the center, and then we’ll help them apply their skills at home,” said Stengel. “We want to empower parents and other caregivers by teaching them how to work with their child. This provides consistency in therapy techniques and continued growth and learning.”

Comprehensive services
Children with autism often need multiple therapies to help them learn and maximize their abilities. These services can include applied behavior analysis (ABA), speech and language therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Further complicating matters, many people on the autism spectrum have one or more additional diagnoses, which may be developmental, behavioral, neurologic, and/or genetic.

“NeurAbilities can address all of these issues with our team of physicians and therapists,” said Stengel. “No other entity in this region provides this full range of services.”

Indeed, NeurAbilities helps families avoid the typical situation of uncoordinated care. Such fragmented services can lead to a host of problems, including inaccurate diagnoses, less effective care, more hospitalizations, and over-medication, among others.

“Parents are struggling to navigate a complex health system that’s not geared toward the special-needs population,” said Dr. Mintz. “Our expansion will relieve a huge amount of pressure on families by providing front-to-back services.”

NeurAbilities is also expanding its treatment services in New Jersey, including more ABA services in its Voorhees office, and more in-home services within approximately 30 minutes of that center. In-home ABA services will also be available to families in the vicinity of the Wall Township office by mid-2020.

The new brand
The organization’s rebranding is based on several key attributes, Stengel explained. “The name ‘NeurAbilities’ encompasses what we do: we address the connections between brain and behavior,” she said. “Our patients need to build their skills, and our mission is to help them maximize their abilities. The right diagnoses and treatments are essential to achieve these goals.” The organization will “co-brand” for several months – using its former and new names together, as it builds awareness of its new name.

About NeurAbilities Healthcare
NeurAbilities Healthcare (formerly The Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health, also known as CNNH NeuroHealth) was formed in 2005 by Dr. Mark Mintz, a leading pediatric neurologist. NeurAbilities is an innovative and integrative organization that provides diagnostic and treatment services for children and adults with neurological, neuropsychological, behavioral, developmental and learning challenges. Such issues include autism, epilepsy, ADHD, concussion and brain injury, intellectual disabilities, Tourette’s syndrome, headaches and migraines, anxiety and mood disorders, among others.

The organization’s unique “Specialty Care Medical Home” model brings together a team of experts from all aspects of neurological care, working collaboratively to provide the most comprehensive care for each person.

The new logo: a meaningful design
The NeurAbilities logo, featuring a stylized person reaching toward stars, is crafted to convey important messages.
“The abstract image represents a person, our patients, and the mosaic of colors symbolizes the uniqueness and complexity of our patient population,” said NeurAbilities CEO Kathleen Stengel, BCBA. “We refer to this image as Hope because that is what we give to our patients: hope.” The stars symbolize the limitless progress patients can strive to make in their journey forward, and the “North Star” of the organization’s mission to care for patients. The stars are four-pointed like a compass “because we guide our patients through their journey of evaluation, diagnosis and treatment,” Stengel said.