Pediatric therapy center closer to becoming a reality in Franklin County

 At a recent Rotary luncheon held at Wilson College’s Laird Hall, guest speaker Jennifer Hitz from Leg Up Farm, laid out a grand vision of an innovative, comprehensive, pediatric therapy center coming to Franklin County on a 16-acre lot near Penn National. 

Over the course of her 30-minute presentation, Hitz spoke of community needs, communication breakdowns, ever-growing waitlists, and the high stakes when those needs aren’t met. She also spoke of victories and success stories that she has seen first-hand.

More than 10 years ago, Hitz toured the original Leg Up Farm in York County, and what she saw there impressed her so much that she left her job to join their team. “It’s just a really magical place that when you walk through, you can’t help but want to be a part of it,” she said of the Mt. Wolf facility.

Now, Hitz is Leg Up Farm’s president and CEO, and it is her job to get others to see that magic that she felt. After years of planning and multiple setbacks, Leg Up Farm Franklin County is closer than ever to becoming a reality.

A History of Helping

According to their website, Leg Up Farm began when Louie and Laurie Castriota had an idea for a therapeutic riding center that would merge their love of horses with their desire to give back to their community. Six months into the planning process, however, their daughter Brooke was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, which causes cognitive and motor function delays. 

The Castriotas were thrown into the world of being parents of a special needs child; a world that can be difficult to navigate without assistance. Hitz said, “They realized how spread out and un-integrated accessible services can be for families that have a special needs kiddo. They were going to one place for physical therapy, another place for occupational therapy, yet another place for speech therapy, and oftentimes not even in their home community.”

The Castriota’s experience was as scary as it is common. The various therapists they were traveling to see weren’t always talking to one another, which caused things to be either missed or duplicated. There was a disparity of resources and healthcare coverage within the families they met in waiting rooms. They saw difficulties with Medicaid, which barely scratches the cost of a therapist’s time - if they accept Medicaid at all. The majority of the families found themselves on waitlists that were three years long or longer.

For perspective, Hitz asked the audience to consider the substantial development that children undergo between the ages of three and six in terms of vocabulary and movement. “It’s almost putting some of our kids so far back that they couldn’t catch up to their true potential, which is just devastating,” she said.

The Castriota’s solution was to develop their original riding center concept into a the ultimate therapy center for children with special needs in York County. There, in a single location, families can find physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, mental health services, nutrition counseling, and educational and recreational programs.

The therapists communicate with each other to develop comprehensive care plans. Additionally, they don’t cap the amount of Medicaid funds they accept in addition to other financial assistance programs. 

Leg Up Farm isn’t looking to repeat anything that is already being done. They are looking to fill in the gaps. 

Since opening, they have provided services for more than 3,000 individuals with special needs.

Service with a Smile

For the parents and the therapists, Leg Up Farm offers convenience, efficiency and improved health outcomes. For the kids, it’s all about fun. When they arrive, instead of asking what therapist they are there to see, the receptionist asks who they came to play with that day.

“Half of our kids don’t even know they’re coming for treatment,” said Hitz. “They’re coming to play with their friend. That’s on purpose. If you can make it fun, they want to participate.” She added, “If you can make therapy fun and not just another sterile, awful office that they have to go into, then all of sudden, they want to be there.”

Leg Up Farm will feature a blend of recreational and traditional treatment spaces including a sensory gym, a fitness room, a movement room, and a barrier-free playground with accessible equipment.

The main attraction will be a strip called Trae’s Town, which includes a variety of treatment rooms where the exterior facades will all be decorated as local businesses (Leg Up Farm is still seeking sponsors for the Franklin County location).

Hitz told the story of a child with cerebral palsy who hated doing her stretching exercises but loved playing on a full-sized Martin’s potato chip delivery truck that had been disassembled and reassembled inside the building. The child hated stretching, but loved pressing the gas and brake pedals.

She was doing the exercises that she needed, and she was loving it. “It’s a heavy lift, but it’s an exciting lift,” said Hitz of the stakes. “I get to walk through the halls and see kids say their first words, take their first steps, make their first friend.”

Now she wants to see these things in Franklin County.

A Leg Up in Franklin County

According to Hitz’s presentation, of the 34,518 children in Franklin County, 17% (5,868) will have a special need, including nearly 1,000 who will have autism. 11% of Franklin County children under the age of six are uninsured - the 12th highest in all of PA’s counties.

Hitz credits Mike Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corporation, with keeping Franklin County on Leg Up Farm’s radar.

“What Leg Up Farm has done in York County at the Mt. Wolf location is nothing short of remarkable,” said Ross. “The quality of services they provide and the commitment of their staff are why we want them in Franklin County.”

The presence of Leg Up Farm would also allow the county to make a stronger first impression on people and businesses who are considering relocating to Franklin County. “When companies are looking to recruit executives, if that candidate has a child with special needs, the first question they’re going to ask is, ‘Tell me about the services that we can expect to receive for our children.’ In many cases, that’s going to determine if they’re going to accept that position. The need to provide quality services supersedes that position.”

Bringing Leg Up Farm to Franklin County has made a lot of progress over the years. The land - about 16 acres near Penn National - was donated by Patti Nitterhouse and her husband Dennis Zimmerman. Noelker and Hull have finalized the floor plans of the multi-functional facility.

But the organization has also encountered numerous setbacks and false starts as the project has faced everything from COVID-19 to leadership changes. 

“Jen Hitz is the right person at the right time to be leading Leg Up Farm,” said Ross. “We’re excited to have her. She’s fully invested in the Franklin County project.” He added,  “We’re starting to get more engagement in Franklin County with the Leg Up board, which is York dominant. They’re becoming more supportive, and I attribute a lot of that to Jen.”

Bringing Leg Up Farm to Franklin County may be a top priority, but there is still a lot to do. Specifically: fundraising. 

Donations can be made at legupfarm.org. There is also a calendar of fundraising events.

On June 14, Leg Up Farm will host its “Farm en Blanc,” a gala where attendees dress in all white that will be held on the site. “It’s going to be a way for folks to really visualize it,” said Hitz of the event. “You will be standing where the building will be and understand what that means and really feel it.”