Aspire Mental Wellness is a Springfield-based mental health clinic created to serve adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a population that can face additional barriers when trying to find mental health care that understands their communication styles, support needs, and individual circumstances.

Aspire was created to help close that gap by providing specialized mental health care for adults with developmental disabilitiea and has been working to become an approved provider with Trillium Community Health Plan so people in our community can have another qualified option when they are looking for mental health support. Trillium denied Aspire’s application based on its determination that its current provider network adequately meets the needs of the community. The experiences shared by many individuals, families, caregivers, and support professionals suggest that meaningful barriers to appropriate care still remain.

Finding mental health care can already be difficult. For adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, that search can become even harder when communication differences or disability-related support needs are part of the picture. Someone may reach a point where they are ready to ask for help only to discover that a provider has a long waitlist, is not accepting new clients, or does not feel equipped to support their individual needs.

At a time when someone may already be struggling, finding the right provider should not become another barrier they have to work through. Aspire is appealing Trillium’s decision and asking the community to help demonstrate that there continues to be a meaningful need for additional specialized mental health services in Lane County.

Why Specialized Care Matters
Adults with developmental disabilities deserve access to mental health care that recognizes the person in front of them and understands that support may need to look a little different from one individual to another. For some people, communication may take additional time or require a different approach. Others may benefit from having family members, direct support professionals, case managers, or other trusted members of their support team involved in their care.

Sometimes a small adjustment in communication or approach can make a meaningful difference in whether someone feels comfortable enough to participate and continue receiving support. Aspire Wellness Center was created with these needs in mind. Having another qualified provider available would give people more room to find what works for them instead of being limited to whichever provider happens to have an opening. It would also give families and support teams another place to turn when they are trying to help someone access care before their mental health needs become more serious or escalate into a crisis.

What People Are Experiencing
Individuals and the people supporting them continue to encounter situations where appropriate mental health care can be difficult to find. Appointments may not be available when support is needed. Someone may spend time on a waitlist while they are already struggling. A provider may technically be accepting new patients but may not have the experience or resources needed to comfortably support an adult with developmental disabilities.

Availability on a provider list does not always mean that care is realistically accessible to the person seeking it. When determining whether a community has enough mental health providers, we believe it is important to consider not only how many providers are listed in a network but whether people can actually access those providers and find care that appropriately meets their needs. Aspire is ready to provide another option for people who are still searching.

Why We Are Asking for Community Support
Aspire’s appeal gives individuals, families, caregivers, and support professionals an opportunity to share what they are actually experiencing when they try to access mental health services. The people navigating these systems know how difficult it can be to find a provider who is available and able to meet someone where they are. Support professionals also see these challenges while helping people schedule appointments and find care that fits their individual circumstances. These experiences provide important context when determining whether the current provider network is truly meeting the needs of Lane County.

What We Are Asking Trillium to Do
This petition respectfully asks Trillium Community Health Plan to reconsider Aspire Wellness Center’s application and recognize the continued need for additional specialized mental health services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Lane County. Approving Aspire would give Trillium members another qualified provider option and could help more people receive appropriate support earlier rather than waiting until their mental health needs become more difficult to manage. We are also asking Trillium to consider community need in a practical way. Having providers listed within a network is important, but meaningful access depends on whether those providers are available and prepared to support the individuals seeking care.

Aspire Wellness Center is ready to become another option!

For someone who has already spent too much time trying to find the right support, another qualified provider could make the next step a little easier. It could give individuals greater choice in deciding who they trust with their mental health care and give families another resource when they are trying to support someone they care about. If you have experienced difficulty finding appropriate mental health care for yourself or someone you support, we invite you to consider signing this petition. If you work alongside adults with developmental disabilities and believe additional specialized mental health options are needed in our community, your experience matters too.

Signing or sharing this petition is completely voluntary. Please participate only if you personally support Aspire’s appeal and believe adults with developmental disabilities should have greater access to appropriate mental health care. By signing, you are asking Trillium to reconsider Aspire Wellness Center’s application and recognize the need for another specialized mental health provider option in Lane County.

Our hope is that the people making this decision will listen to the individuals and families who have navigated these barriers and to the professionals who continue helping people find a path toward appropriate care.

Please sign and help us show Trillium that our community is asking for another option!