Three pediatric urgent care centers on Long Island have renewed their “Autism Friendly” designation from Autism Speaks, a recognition that puts them among a small but growing number of medical facilities nationwide working to make healthcare less intimidating for children on the autism spectrum.
The centers, operated by Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care in Lake Success (Nassau County), East Northport (Suffolk County), and Hewlett (Nassau County), first earned the designation in 2024 as the first urgent care locations in the country to do so. The renewal reflects two years of sustained staff training and physical modifications to better serve patients with autism spectrum disorder.
Close to 20,000 children on Long Island are estimated to be on the autism spectrum. That’s a lot of families navigating a healthcare system that wasn’t built with their kids in mind.
For many of those families, a routine urgent care visit isn’t routine at all. Crowded waiting rooms, unfamiliar sounds, unpredictable timing, and the general chaos of a busy medical office can push an already anxious child past the point of managing. Some families put off care entirely rather than risk a difficult experience, which means minor problems can turn into serious ones before anyone sees a doctor.
The changes at Northwell Health-GoHealth’s three pediatric centers are meant to close that gap. Staff at all three locations have completed specialized training through Autism Speaks, with more than 80% of customer-facing team members finishing the coursework, a threshold required to earn the designation. The centers exceeded that minimum. Beyond training, the facilities have made physical adjustments including quieter exam rooms, dimmable lighting, and sensory kits available during visits. Families can also share accommodation needs privately at check-in so care teams can prepare before the patient even enters the exam room.
“Healthcare settings can be overwhelming for children with autism, which is why we’ve focused on making the experience more predictable and less stressful,” Dr. Gina Ruocchio, clinical manager of Pediatrics for Northwell Health-GoHealth Pediatric Urgent Care, said. “This re-designation reinforces the work we’ve continued to do to better support patients and gives families more confidence in coming to us when they need care.”
The program has grown quickly since those first three Long Island centers earned the designation two years ago. More than 50 urgent care centers across New York, Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina have now joined the effort, according to Long Island Press.
Lindsay Naeder, vice president of Services and Supports at Autism Speaks, pointed to the deliberate, operational nature of the changes rather than a symbolic commitment. “Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care has taken a thoughtful approach to making care more accessible for autistic patients and their families,” Naeder said.
The practical design behind the designation matters. Online preparation resources let families walk through what a visit looks like before they show up, which reduces uncertainty on both sides. Dimmable lighting sounds like a small detail. It isn’t, for a child who processes sensory input differently than most.
Staff training, sensory adjustments, flexible check-in processes, take-home prep materials. Each piece addresses a specific reason why families have historically avoided or delayed care, and together they describe a clinical environment that works harder to meet patients where they are rather than expecting patients to manage an environment designed for someone else.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 1 in 36 children in the United States has been identified with autism spectrum disorder, a figure that has risen steadily over the past two decades as screening and diagnostic criteria have improved. On Long Island, that prevalence translates to tens of thousands of school-age children, and their families carry the daily logistical weight of finding providers who can actually meet their needs.
Urgent care is a particular pressure point because it’s unplanned, which strips away the preparation time families rely on. A sick Wednesday afternoon doesn’t come with a week to get a child mentally ready for a new environment. The Autism Friendly model tries to build that preparation into the system itself rather than leaving it entirely to parents.
Northwell Health-GoHealth’s pediatric centers serve Nassau and Suffolk County families across a stretch of Long Island where demand for autism-informed care has outpaced the availability of providers equipped to offer it. The re-designation at Lake Success, East Northport, and Hewlett means those three locations will continue operating under the Autism Speaks framework as the broader national network of certified urgent care centers keeps expanding.