Empty Stocking Fund: The Resource Exchange
When Tessa Ziser’s daughter Ruth was 2, she noticed that the girl wasn’t as expressive as other kids her age.
“She wasn’t vocalizing as much. We were worried and thought a speech pathologist would be the answer, but we weren’t sure. I looked at services, they were so expensive, and it was hard to figure out what we needed,” Ziser said.
The school teacher had heard stories of those trying to find appropriate health services. Just signing up and filling out applications could be a nightmare if a question was misunderstood. And once through the paperwork, was it the right care?
The labyrinth of Medicare, Medicaid and insurance is a worrisome hurdle that can make even a determined person give up.
But Ziser was lucky. She consulted her daughter’s pediatrician, who pointed her to The Resource Exchange.
“I didn’t know it existed,” she recalled. “But they helped us with assessments. It was free and that was huge.”
The toddler was placed in TRE’s early intervention program with one of their speech pathologists. The treatment, because of the pandemic, was done by tele-health. Ruth liked the therapeutic but fun games. For example, she wasn’t using the word “big,” so they made a game out of placing big and little items around the house and asking her which was which.
Now, Ruth is 3 1/2 and doing well. Her mother said, laughing, “She won’t be quiet.”
The Resource Exchange helps children and adults who have a variety of intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health and long-term care needs.
“Those trying to go it alone can find it daunting. “The steps involved in obtaining help can laborious, lengthy, and complex and the rules often change yearly,” said Julie White, TRE marketing and communications manager.
TRE partners with more than 200 community agencies and organizations to assist with access to state, federal, and insurance funded services. But there are often gaps in what is covered, so the agency needs community donations and grants to supplement care. The case management organization connects with these community agencies to find whatever a client needs, from finding help for veterans with PTSD to helping families find long-term care for elderly parents.
TRE helped more than 9,000 clients last year in El Paso, Park, Teller and Pueblo counties. The organization has approximately 375 employees.
In 2019 TRE became the so-called “single entry point” to administer all of Colorado’s Medicaid waivers. The waivers go beyond traditional Medicaid to provide additional benefits that help with a variety of needs such as spinal cord injuries and children with life limitations.
The organization was founded in 1964. But the state’s population growth and the pandemic has made providing health care even more of a challenge. TRE’s caseload has doubled in the past three years.
“We are not sacrificing services. We are changing how we connect, White said. That means more hybrid ways to deliver care, such as part online and part in-person visits.
TRE also has its own direct early intervention program for numerous conditions. One out of eight children have a developmental or social-emotional challenges, she noted. If kids receive services before kindergarten, many can reach their full potential, White said.
They also have classes in such things as parenting, infant massage and sign language, and provide respite for caregivers. They also have been holding vaccination clinics.
TRE partners with the national Go Baby Go!, a unique program to provide free motorized miniature Jeeps for kids with mobility issues. Often it is the first time children have been able to maneuver on their own.
On Dec. 11, TRE will host a drive-through Santa event open to the public.
“Our community is why we do what we do,” White said. Guiding someone to the help they need or helping a child find their voice is its own reward.”
For more information, visit tre.org.
Empty Stocking Fund benefits 20 health and human service agencies in the Pikes Peak region who serve over 350,000 neighbors in need from birth to end of life. One donation. 20 agencies. A whole community served.
Give now at EmptyStockingFundCO.org, or call 719-476-1673 to make a credit card or stock donation. Make checks payable to Empty Stocking Fund and mail to P.O. Box 910942, Denver, CO 80291-0942.