Easterseals of Mahoning, Trumbull & Columbiana Counties has expanded its service area to include six new counties and, to reflect the growth, has changed its name.

The Youngstown-based organization that provides services, education, outreach and advocacy to people living with disabilities and their families is now known as Easterseals of Northeast Ohio.

And on the horizon for the organization is creating an autism diagnostic clinic at its near downtown headquarters on Edwards Street on the South Side, its chief executive said Thursday.

EXPANSION

The new counties are Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage, Carroll, Tuscarawas and Holmes, bringing Easterseals’ footprint to a nine-county region.

“Expanding our reach is about more than just geography — it’s about increasing our impact and ensuring that individuals and families in every corner of northeast Ohio have access to the support they need to lead full and empowered lives,” Jody Klase, CEO of Easterseals of Northeast Ohio, said.

“This is a natural evolution for our organization as we look to grow our programs and build trust and awareness across our new service areas.”

With the expanded area, the organization is growing into areas where there was no active presence, except interpreting and vocational services to the deaf community, Klase said.

To start, most services will be offered virtually. The plan is to establish satellite offices in Ashtabula and Portage counties as needs are determined and demand grows, Klase said.

The organization will remain headquartered in Youngstown. Services for existing clients will not be impacted.

“Our name change and growth into new counties don’t affect clients currently receiving services in the Mahoning Valley,” Klase said. “We are simply expanding the opportunity to reach more people and build stronger communities.”

For years, the organization has advocated for full equity, inclusion and access for people living with disabilities and other special needs. Its programs offer “a continuum of services to meet the diverse needs of children, adults and seniors in the community,” from early childhood programs to medical rehabilitation, autism services and workforce development.

Other programs include services for the deaf, non-medical transportation, adult day care, home-delivered meals and speech and occupational therapy.

“The first step is, really, to get to know the communities and determine what the need for service is,” Klase said of the work ahead in the six new counties. She’s aiming for the start of the new year for that process to begin.

“The first crucial step is building those relationships, building that trust,” she said.

CLINIC

“Next on the horizon for us is we are going to create an autism diagnostic clinic,” Klase said. “That is brand new to us, and the need in the community is almost a year-long wait to get into other programs, so the need is there.”

The hope is to expand the clinic’s services into the Portage and Ashtabula satellite offices once they are established. It would be centered at the headquarters in Youngstown.

“We are currently undergoing some renovations and getting staff hired and training to take on that new venture in the new year,” Klase said.

To start up the clinic, the organization received a $60,000 grant from the Youngstown Foundation and another for about $37,000 from the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.