About us
Why We Started Beaming Health
Every idea starts with a problem. Ours was simple: It should not be this hard for neurodiverse families to access the resources they need
--
Every idea starts with a problem. Ours was simple: It should not be this hard for neurodiverse families to access the resources they need.
The challenges that face this community have not improved much over time and many continue to feel entirely ignored by the systems in place. We weren’t complete strangers to the challenges — our team had personally and professionally witnessed the burden put on families and individuals.
Our vision became clear: Every family should sleep well at night knowing they are doing everything they can to set their child up for a happy and healthy life. We know how hard this journey can be, and we created Beaming Health to serve as a light to families to guide them to better care and support.
Our team is comprised of founders, parents, advisors, healthcare experts, creators, coaches, and advocates who are determined to support you and your loved ones every step of the way. And together, we’re combining the power of people and technology to deliver a world-class experience for families of children with special needs.
Meet the founders
Marissa “Missy” Pittard
“My experience with the challenges of the system is personal. My brother has PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) and Misophonia. Just getting the right diagnosis was an uphill battle. It was a struggle is an understatement to the time and energy my family spent researching what therapies exist, finding which doctors we could talk to, and, of course, paying for everything.
You can give everything you have to support your family and still wonder at the end of the day if it is ever enough. With Beaming Health, I hope to help improve current conditions and give the help and support to families that I wished existed for mine.”
Chris Olmanson
“I spent four years at UnitedHealth Group (UHG) serving parents who have kids with special needs and saw firsthand how difficult navigating healthcare can be.
At UHG, I had the chance to talk with hundreds of parents and heard many of the same types of stories over and over again… stories about sitting on waiting lists for months, stories about calling dozens of specialists trying to find ones that actually took their insurance, stories about filing for personal bankruptcy because of the medical costs associated with their child’s care, and stories about going to bed feeling anxious and not knowing if what they were doing was enough. The Beaming Health website is the dream product I always wished would have existed to help these families, and I’m excited to be jumping two feet in to bring it to life.”
Why are we focusing on autism care?
We’ve started with autism given the dramatic increase in the diagnosed autism population. The systems in place were already broken and the increased demand for services has only made matters worse. Millions of families struggle to navigate these systems every year and we felt it was important to start big with this massively underserved community.
On top of navigating complex systems, there is tremendous pressure to find the best care as soon as possible and properly manage the expenses. Studies have shown families of children with autism experience a 27% reduction in income. They spend countless hours on the phone looking for care or battling with insurance. 50% of parents report a need to reduce or stop work. The status quo is unacceptable and we’re here to transform the experience.
We believe neurodiversity should be celebrated and supported. The problems we are solving are a product of broken systems that have been failing this community for far too long.
Parents deserve access to high quality information and resources so they can make the best decisions for their families.
We hope you’ll join us in creating this new reality!
Interested in connecting or partnering with us? Set up time HERE.
