05/09/2026
Sharing from a friend who is working hard with legislation, and improving quality care for our families. If your family received pediatric therapy or you know a loved one receives pediatric therapy, please take a few minutes to read and support.
When a healthcare provider network “breaks,” it usually doesn’t happen all at once.
It happens slowly, quietly, and often long before families realize what is occurring.
A provider network begins to fail when clinics can no longer sustainably participate due to low reimbursement rates, staffing shortages, payment instability, or overwhelming administrative burden. Providers may stop accepting new patients, reduce availability, or close programs entirely.
On paper, the network may still look “adequate.”
But in reality, families begin experiencing:
• Longer waitlists
• Fewer provider options
• Increased drive times
• Delayed evaluations and treatment
• Loss of continuity of care
In pediatric therapy, this is especially concerning because children do not get developmental time back.
When children miss access to speech, occupational, physical, or behavioral therapy during critical developmental windows, the impact can follow them into school, daily functioning, mental health, and long-term independence.
What many people don’t realize is that when enough providers leave a network, the strain also increases on the providers who remain:
• Higher caseloads
• Burnout
• Staffing turnover
• Reduced appointment availability
Eventually, families may technically “have coverage,” but struggle to actually access care.
Parent and caregiver voices carry tremendous weight in these conversations. State representatives are elected to represent the families and communities in their districts, and personal stories matter.
We strongly encourage parents, caregivers, families, and educators to reach out to their legislators and share how the loss of access to specialized pediatric therapy services would impact children in their district.
Please take a few minutes to share how therapy has helped your child, and how they will be impacted if they lose access to the medically necessary care they need. 💜
Find your local and state legislators here:
🔎 https://georgia.gov/who-represents-you
📧 [email protected]
