Heartspring plans to hire 75

Wichita nonprofit Heartspring is set to add several dozen employees to its staff before the end of the year, according to its CEO.

The organization, which already has 375 employees, hopes to grow its workforce to as many as 450 in the coming months, CEO David Stupay said Friday. Heartspring offers residential and outpatient services for children with developmental disabilities and behavioral issues.

Most of Heartspring’s current workforce is full-time with just 65 employees working part-time hours.

“We have families that have been on our outpatient waiting list for services for over two years. Our residential waiting list is up to eight months,” Stupay said. “We get contacted by 10 families per week, though we don’t have any room right now.

“We’re aiming to clear our current waiting list by the middle of this fall.”

With a cluster of buildings located at 8700 E. 29th St., one off-campus group home and another scheduled to open soon, Stupay said the company’s growth has been aided by increasing demand for the services it provides, both locally and nationally.

“With additional education and information out there about some of these disabilities and behavioral issues, like autism, we’re seeing an increase in the need for additional support,” said Stupay, who started in his role in April.

“Especially with autism, what we see is that when we can identify the issue at a young age, the chances of that child having a significantly improved life are much greater.”

Based on research, about one in every 68 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Judging by the latest U.S. Census numbers for the state of Kansas, that means that the state likely is home to around 10,600 children under the age of 18 with autism.

“Certainly not all of these children are receiving the support and services they need,” said Debra Kamps, director of the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training at the University of Kansas.

“We can begin intensive early intervention at 18-to-24 months, and it makes a big difference the earlier a child is diagnosed. If they don’t have joint social and communication skills by the time they enter school, it can be very difficult and they can really fall behind.”

Through its different services, Heartspring works with children from ages 5 to 21 and served about 1,000 kids during the previous fiscal year, Stupay said. For the current fiscal year, Stupay expects the organization to serve about 1,200. Most of them receive outpatient treatment, though about 50 live on campus.

“We service about 200 families in our pediatric program,” Stupay said. “We’ve increased our capacity at our school from 58 to 70 children and adolescents, and we’ve opened a new classroom and hired a special education and staff for the classroom just this month. We have a regional focus, and we want to continue to have that focus.”

Stupay said Heartspring will take a financial hit during the short-term by hiring the additional employees, but said it will pay off in the long run, both financially and by providing what he described as needed services in the area.

Stupay added that Heartspring is planning a job fair next month and that entry-level positions will start at $10.50 per hour.

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Heartspring plans to hire 75."