News

When it comes to helping medically complex children remain in their homes, Autum Scott isn’t just building a program—she’s shaping a movement. As Achieva’s new Director of Medically Complex Care, she’s tackling one of the region’s most pressing gaps in pediatric services: keeping children with significant needs out of institutional care and firmly in the care of their families.

“At the heart of this program is a simple belief,” says Achieva’s Senior Vice President of Achieva Support, Kolleen Johnson. “Children belong with their families. Being at home, surrounded by the people who love them, is the most nurturing way for them to live the life they want—and the life they deserve for their future.”

For chilren like Conrad (Magazine Fall '25) - who had been in a pediatric care facilty for ears - funding gaps, provider shorables, and logistic challenges can make returning home nearly impossible. Achieva’s new grant-funded program, in partnership with Highmark, addresses these barriers by helping families access necessary training, equipment, home modifications, and care coordination.

Currently, limited providers in Pennsylvania offer life-sharing services for children with complex needs, but each does so differently. “What fits for one person may not work for someone else,” Autum explains. Our approach is deeply individualized and person-centered: assessing each child’s and their family’s needs and building solutions that are practical, holistic, and sustainable.

Autum’s path to this role is steeped in experience. She began working with youth in residential treatment facilities, and became an acting supervisor, trained in trauma-informed care, post-traumatic stress group facilitation, and dual diagnosis management. In 2012, she joined Achieva, eventually managing 26 community homes, overseeing specialists, developing behavioral and medical protocols, and ensuring person-centered care.

"I'm familiar with that place where you want help, but you’re not sure where to get it,” she says. “I want to help families find lives of personal significance and keep children in the nurturing environment of their own homes.”

The program officially launches February 1, but interest is already high. Families have reached out for support, and state leaders and local pediatric care partners are engaging with Achieva to shape services based on true community needs. The initiative will also serve as a model statewide, with plans to participate in a capacity-building seminar for medically complex children.

The word goes beyond keeping children out of hospitals. Achieva’s program coordinates across funding sources, partners with nursing and medical teams, and ensures families can access equipment like wheelchairs or air filtration systems that make homes safe and livable. It’s a highly proactive approach to person-centered care: “If the supports don’t exist, then we need to build them,” Autum says.