Mission Statement

VIA is dedicated to making safe and effective interventions and therapies more accessible to families of children with disabilities.

Board of Directors Top

	Jill Urwick Founder and President jurwick@vianow.org Jill Urwick is the parent of an autistic child and a child with ADHD. She completed her education at Wingate University in the fields of Psychology and Human Services. Since her own son’s diagnosis of autism in 2002, she has focused much time and energy on autism research and seeking treatment for him. On this quest, she has served as a board member for DSI Connections, a Sensory Integration Dysfunction support group, as well as founded (2002) and served as president of S.T.A.R. Parents, a proactive support group for parents who are Seeking Treatment And Recovery for their autistic children. Jill also assisted in establishing a Verbal Behavior Inclusion program in the local public school system. As an active parent advocate, she interacts daily with other parents, children, and professionals in the world of autism and the general public. She currently serves as Director of Projects for Defeat Autism Now! Jill and her husband Lee reside with their 3 beautiful children in Weddington, NC.
	Hugo Hanson, CPA www.hhanson.com "H" Hanson has been uncovering spiritual principles, applying them in his life and actively sharing them with others for over 30 years. In addition to being a father of four grown children, he is a performing singer-songwriter and a practicing CPA. "H" lives with his wife Maureen in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
	Maureen McDonnell, RN Maureen McDonnell has been a registered nurse and nutritional counselor for 29 years. She lectures on the role that nutrition and the environment play in women’s health, autism and ADD. She has two grown children, a grand child, a daughter-in-law, and four stepchildren (that she drums health information into every chance she gets). She is the National Coordinator for the Defeat Autism Now! Conferences, which advocate a nutritionally-based approach to recovering children from autism. She is also the owner of Nutritionists Choice, Inc. Maureen lives in the mountains of western North Carolina with her CPA/singer-songwriter husband, H. Hanson.
	Adam Thomas www.universalspiritassociation.com Adam Thomas graduated from University of North Carolina at Charlotte with Undergraduate degree in Biology and Masters Degree in Health Administration. Management experience includes: Director, Business Development for MedCath Inc; Executive Director, Business Development/Commercial Operations for Tactical Research; currently serving as President of Universal Spirit. Adam lives with his wife, Jan and their 2 children in Weddington, NC.
	Lee Urwick Lee is the parent of a child with autism and a child with ADHD. He completed his education at Wingate University in 1992 in the field of Communications. Lee has worked in the industry of horticultural sales for the past 11 years. Currently, he works for Buffalo Horticultural Sales Company. Lee lives with his wife, Jill and their three children in Weddington, NC.

What We Do Top

As a 501c3 organization, VIA funds various projects which focus mainly on making biomedical treatments more accessible to families with children suffering from Autism.
VIA helps families to attend Defeat Autism Now!® Conferences and Saving Our Kids, Healing Our Planet Conferences™ who cannot afford to pay to attend the conference by helping Defeat Autism Now! to provide a scholarship fund.
VIA is in the process of establishing a VIA Participating Providers. This exclusive program allows participating physicians to receive special pricing for testing and various other treatments for their patients from VIA Participating Vendors. Thus, they are able to pass along the reduced rates to their patients.
VIA has developed a Family Assistance Program which offers financial assistance for biomedical treatments for families who qualify with a child who is affected by autism.
VIA Celebrities for Autism Recovery Program - VIA has developed several exclusive programs designed to help celebrities get involved in helping families of children with autism. Because privacy and discretion are a priority at VIA, if you are a celebrity and would like to learn more about how you can become a part of this wonderful endeavor, please contact us directly at info@vianow.org or (704) 400-1046. We will be happy to send you a complete packet of information about the different opportunities available to you.
VIA Athletes for Autism Recovery Program - VIA has several exclusive programs designed to help professional athletes get involved in helping families of children with autism. Because privacy and discretion are a priority at VIA, if you are a professional athlete and would like to learn more about how you can become a part of this wonderful endeavor, please contact us directly at info@vianow.org or (704) 400-1046. We will be happy to send you a complete packet of information about the different opportunities available to you.
VIA Musicians for Autism Recovery Program - VIA has several exclusive programs designed to help professional musicians get involved in helping families of children with autism. Because privacy and discretion are a priority at VIA, if you are a professional musician and would like to learn more about how you can become a part of this wonderful endeavor, please contact us directly at info@vianow.org or (704) 400-1046. We will be happy to send you a complete packet of information about the different opportunities available to you.
VIA Corporate Sponsorship Program – VIA works very hard to help as many families with autistic children as possible to receive the biomedical treatments necessary to assist them down the path to recovery for their children. By becoming a sponsor, you will be enabling VIA to fund various programs to make biomedical treatments more accessible to these families, thus ensuring that recovery becomes a real possibility for these kids instead of a luxury. Please visit our sponsor section for more details.

What Is Autism Top

What is Autism? Autism is a developmental, neurological, and medical disorder, which results in delays in cognition, language and socialization. In most autistic children, sensory input and output is also affected. Autism is usually first noticeable within the first two years of life but often goes undiagnosed until the affected child turns three or more years of age. Today, autism affects 1 in every 150 children.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism disorder results in impairments in social interaction, communication, and imaginative play prior to the age of 3 years. Stereotyped behaviors and interests are also noticeable. Other general characteristics are listed below.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (commonly referred to as atypical autism), or a diagnosis of PDD-NOS may be made when a child does not meet the criteria for a specific diagnosis, but there is a severe and pervasive impairment in specified behaviors.
Asperger's Syndrome disorder is characterized by impairments in social interactions and the presence of restricted interests and activities, with no clinically significant general delay in language, and testing in the range of average to above average intelligence.
Rett's Disorder is a progressive disorder which, to date, has occurred only in girls. The disorder appears after a period of normal development and then loss of previously acquired skills and a loss of purposeful use of the hands replaced with repetitive hand movements beginning at the age of 1-4 years.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder is characterized by normal development for at least the first 2 years, significant loss of previously acquired skills. (American Psychiatric Association 1994)

Autistic characteristics may include any combination of the following:

Acts as deaf
No eye contact
Lack of facial expression and poor body posture
Lack of balance
Resistant to normal teaching methods
Inappropriate laughing and giggling
No fear of real dangers
Apparent insensitivity to pain
Not wanting physical contact, such as cuddling; a loner
Sustained odd play or encompassing preoccupation with one or more restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus.
Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms, such as hand or finger flapping or twisting; or, complex whole body movements
Self-injurious behavior such as head-banging
Lack of symbolic or imaginative play; lack of imitative play
Lack of social interaction; not actively participating in simple social play or games, or preferring solitary activities.
Involving others in activities only as tools or "mechanical aids."
Inappropriate fixations or attachments to objects.
Hand-leading
Spins objects or is fascinated by spinning objects
Echolalic-repeats exactly what is heard, such as repeating a question after it is asked.
Extreme distress for no discernible reason; crying or tantrums.
Delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language that is not accompanied by gestures or mime.
Difficulty in expressing needs
Toe-walking
Inability to point at desired objects
Marked physical over-activity or extreme passivity
Uneven physical, verbal, or gross and fine motor skills

Is autism treatable? YES! Go to www.autism.org or www.autismresearchinstitute.com for more information.

Summary of Treatments (includes, but not limited to)

Dietary Interventions
Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation
Essential Fatty Acid Supplementation
Detoxification Therapy
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Allergy Elimination Treatments
Speech Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Glutathione Therapy
Methyl B-12 Injections
Antifungal Therapy
Antiviral Therapy
Hippotherapy
Applied Behavior Analysis

Average cost of treatments… $20,000 - $60,000 per year

Insurance coverage… Most of the therapies listed above are not covered by insurance companies. So, the majority of the cost rests upon each individual family.

Family Assistance Top

The VIA Family Assistance Program is designed to help families of children with autism to receive financial assistance to pay for biomedical treatments for their child. All money awarded to families will be sent directly to the VIA Participating Physician working with that family. Qualified applicants will be thoroughly screened. Approval will be based individually, with an emphasis on financial need of the applicant. Upon approval, each family must agree to follow the guidelines designed for the program, or will risk losing financial assistance.

Request an Application – PLEASE CHECK JILL’S NOTES ON THE HOME PAGE TO SEE WHEN APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Providers Top

This exclusive program is available by invitation only. It is set up to help offer special pricing available only through VIA to participating physicians and their patients, and to facilitate payments for VIA Family Assistance Program Participants to their VIA Participating Providers. For more information on how to become a VIA Participating Provider, contact us at info@vianow.org. In your contact, please specify whether you are a vendor or a physician.

VIA Participating Providers:

Kenneth Bock, MD
Stuart Freedenfeld, MD
Jerold Kartzinel, MD
Andrew Levinson, MD
Elizabeth Mumper, MD
Nancy O’Hara, MD
Anju Usman, MD
James Neubrander, MD
Stephanie Cave, MD
John Green, MD

Physician Forms Top

Explanation of Forms

FAX/EMAIL/PHONE QUESTIONS – This simple form is designed as a quick checklist to help us track whether your recommendations between appointments are being followed. We do not need you to disclose to us the specifics on the recommendations/changes (with the exception of lab kits sent), only to be able to track when recommendations/changes are made.
LAB KITS DONE AT HOME – This form should be filled out for every lab kit that is ordered by the patient and sent home for them to complete. The purpose of this form is to ensure that the patient is actually completing and returning the test kits per your instructions.
PROGRESS REPORT QUESTIONNAIRE – VIA will send a request to your office twice every year for this form. Simply have someone on your office staff fill out the form based upon information in the patient’s file and send the form to VIA. The VIA Family Assistance Program participants are required to fill a daily calendar checklist and must submit it once a month to be kept in their file at your office. This is to ensure that they are complying with your instructions at home.

Celebrities Top

VIA Celebrities for Autism Recovery Program. VIA has developed several exclusive programs designed to help celebrities get involved in helping families of children with autism. Because privacy and discretion are a priority at VIA, if you are a celebrity and would like to learn more about how you can become a part of this wonderful endeavor, please contact us directly at info@vianow.org or (704) 400-1046. We will be happy to send you a complete packet of information about the different opportunities available to you.

Sponsorships Top

VIA Corporate Sponsorship Program. VIA works very hard to help as many families with autistic children as possible to receive the biomedical treatments necessary to assist them down the path to recovery for their children. By becoming a sponsor, you will be enabling VIA to fund various programs to make biomedical treatments more accessible to these families, thus ensuring that recovery becomes a real possibility for these kids instead of a luxury. Please visit our sponsor section for more details.

Vendors Top

The VIA Participating Vendors Program is designed to offer the VIA Participating Physicians special pricing for products and services that is exclusive to this program. Since the primary goal of VIA is to offer financial assistance to families of children with autism, we have developed a plan to help reduce the costs making it a little more affordable to all families who seek these treatments through our participating physicians.

BENEFITS TO THE PARTICIPATING VENDORS:

Because your company is offering exclusive pricing to VIA Participating Physicians, your company should become the preferred vendor for these physicians in placing their orders.
Your company logo will appear on the VIA website as a participating provider offering more visibility for your company.
If you are in agreement, when applicable, VIA will place posters and/or written material at various VIA events with your logo included as a VIA Participating Vendor.
You will have the opportunity to also become a VIA Sponsor. If you are interested in the many added benefits of this program, please request a Sponsor Packet.
Your company will be giving back to a community in a creative way that will be helping more families to be able to receive biomedical treatments and testing that they otherwise may not be able to afford.

SUGGESTED WAYS TO WORK WITH VIA:

Have a special code set up for VIA Participating Physicians to use when placing orders for your products and/or services to offer exclusive rates
Have a special form for VIA Participating Physicians to use when placing orders for your products and/or services to offer exclusive rates
Have a regular rebate to the VIA Participating Physician such as monthly, quarterly, or annually based on orders placed

VIA Participating Vendors:

For a VIA Vendor Profile and Application, click here.

Media Top

What is VIA? The expenses families with autistic children face are enormous. For those families who need but cannot afford biomedical interventions, it is a tragedy. To address and hopefully rectify this situation, a non-profit organization entitled VIA (Vital Interventions Accessible) was formed. Our mission statement is as follows: VIA is dedicated to making safe and effective interventions and therapies more accessible to families of children with disabilities. Our board members include: Hugo Hanson, CPA, Maureen McDonnell, RN, Jill Urwick, Lee Urwick and Adam Thomas.

Programs funded by VIA

Conference Scholarship Fund… a fund established to help parents of autistic children to attend Defeat Autism Now!® Conferences. Defeat Autism Now!® (Defeat Autism Now!®) is dedicated to the exploration, evaluation and dissemination of scientifically documented biomedical interventions for individuals within the autism spectrum through the collaborative efforts of clinicians, researchers and parents. Saving our Kids, Healing Our Planet™ conferenceswill be held throughout the country in order to provide information for parents on preventing chronic health problems in children (such as ADD, Autism, Asthma, Recurrent Ear Infections, Allergies etc). Presentations by some of the most respected physicians and authors in holistic health care will focus on natural, safe and effective methods for improving these conditions.
VIA Family Assistance Program…a comprehensive program established to help families of children with autism to pay for biomedical treatments for their autistic children.
A VIA Participating Providers program has been designed to provide payment for products and services directly to the provider from VIA for the VIA Family Assistance Program participants.

How does VIA fund these programs? Since VIA is a non-profit organization, we depend solely upon the generosity of individuals, corporations, and other organizations. Fundraiser events are planned throughout the year to provide fun, creative avenues for donations. VIA also has unique donation programs for professional athletes, professional musicians, celebrities and corporate sponsors.

Board of Directors
What is Autism?

Contact Us Top

Vital Interventions Accessible
598 Indian Trail Road South, Suite 600
Indian Trail, NC 28079
(704)400-1046
info@vianow.org