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How the Innovation Hub @Thrive Center Started
Jason Lehmbeck heads the Innovation Hub @Thrive Center and knows first-hand the need for innovative solutions in the world of mental health and disability care for kids and families.
His oldest son, Noah, was born with FOXG1, a rare genetic condition.
“From day one, we were quickly overwhelmed by the complex, fragmented systems of care meant to support families like ours,” Lehmbeck says. “Time and time again we felt like we and our son were being treated symptom-by-symptom rather than as people and a family.”
It’s easy sometimes for a care team and family to “get stuck in a healthcare dynamic instead of a self-determination dynamic.”
“Fortunately, this all changed for us, thanks to a number of amazing people in our lives,” Lehmbeck recalls. This included Noah’s pediatrician and neurologist, who spent extra time to support Lehmbeck’s whole family through the journey. “It also included Noah’s physical therapist, who was the first medical professional to get down on the floor with Noah, look him in the eye, and focus on his strengths and loves rather than mechanically work through his symptoms.”
Lehmbeck says it was this “orientation toward person-centered care” for Noah that showed their family the way forward. But it was also, Lehmbeck realized, the treatment of the family and community as critical, integrated members of the care team that made a difference.
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