Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care Pediatric Centers Receive Renewed ‘Autism Friendly Designation’ as a Movement It Started Two Years Ago Grows to 50+ Centers Across Four States
Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care today announced that its pediatric centers in Lake Success, East Northport, and Hewlett on Long Island have been re-designated as Autism Friendly by Autism Speaks. The three centers were the first urgent care locations in the nation to earn the designation in 2024, and in just two years, more than 50 urgent care centers across New York, Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina have joined the effort to make urgent care more accessible to people with autism.
The renewal comes as nearly 20,000 children on Long Island are estimated to be on the autism spectrum*, many of whom face barriers to accessing timely care. For many families, getting care is not simple. A typical healthcare visit, with a busy waiting room, unfamiliar sounds, and unclear timing, can feel overwhelming. Some families delay or avoid visits due to communication challenges, uncertainty about what to expect, or past experiences of feeling misunderstood in healthcare settings. Northwell Health-GoHealth has invested in providing a better care experience for children with autism.
Originally recognized in 2024 as the first urgent care provider in the nation to earn the Autism Friendly Designation, Northwell Health-GoHealth continues to refine how it delivers care for patients with autism. The re-designation reflects ongoing staff training and use of sensory-aware accommodations designed to better support patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
“Healthcare settings can be overwhelming for children with autism, which is why we’ve focused on making the experience more predictable and less stressful,” said Dr. Gina Ruocchio, Clinical Manager of Pediatrics for Northwell Health-GoHealth Pediatric Urgent Care. “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.”
To earn the Autism Friendly Designation, businesses and organizations must have at least 80% of customer-facing team members complete specialized Autism Speaks training to better understand ASD. The team members at Northwell Health-GoHealth’s pediatric urgent care centers exceeded this goal and have focused on delivering personalized care to meet each person’s unique needs. The centers have also been modified to better support sensory needs, including quieter exam rooms, dimmable lighting, and sensory kits that help reduce stress during visits. Patients and families can also access online resources to help them prepare for their visit, and to privately share accommodation needs at check-in so care teams can adjust the visit in real time.
“Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care has taken a thoughtful approach to making care more accessible for autistic patients and their families,” said Lindsay Naeder, Vice President, Services and Supports at Autism Speaks. “This kind of intentional work—from training staff to adapting the care environment—is what creates more consistent and supportive experiences for families. We’re proud to recognize their leadership and the example they’re setting for healthcare systems across the country.”
Northwell Health-GoHealth will continue working with Autism Speaks and clinical partners to improve the experience and expand access to inclusive urgent care for neurodiverse communities.
Autism-friendly pediatric urgent care is available at the Lake Success, East Northport, and Hewlett centers Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., for infants, children and young adults. For more information about Autism-Friendly Designated Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care pediatric centers, visit www.gohealthuc.com/northwell/pediatrics.
*This estimate of nearly 20,000 Long Island children with ASD is based on the number of people under 18 years old in Nassau and Suffolk Counties (295,197 and 314,861, respectively), as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates, July 1, 2024, multiplied by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 1:31 autism prevalence rate (2025) among 8-year-olds across 16 monitoring sites in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.