HOUSTON — Stacie Rivard is heartbroken after learning her 9-year-old son Matthew’s therapists at Texas Children’s Hospital are no longer employed there.
“One was his feeding therapist, and one was his cochlear implant speech therapist,” said Rivard.
Matthew has multiple medical conditions.
“He has Pierre Robin syndrome. He has hypotonia, he's profoundly deaf,” said Rivard.
He's also visually impaired and is wheelchair dependent. Rivard said he's been a patient at Texas Children’s Hospital since he was 2 years old.
“He is receiving feeding therapy. He gets speech therapy for his cochlear implant or was getting that, he gets physical therapy, occupational therapy,” said Rivard.
Two weeks ago, the Rivard family learned Matthew's speech and feeding therapists were part of the roughly 1,000 employees let go as the hospital slashes five percent of its workforce.
“I felt for the therapists because they become family because we see them so much,” said Rivard.
She said a third specialist they'd been waiting to see was also let go.
“We've been evaluated, and we're in the process of getting him help with the eye gaze that we have for him," Rivard said.
Now she doesn't know where Matthew and their family will turn.
“We don't know where to go because some of these therapies are not met at the school system,” said Rivard. “He needs this. He needs all the tools in his toolbelt to help him.”
Stacie told KHOU 11 News it took a while to even start the services Matthew was getting.
Texas Children's own website says the wait for therapy evaluations can take six to nine months.