An urgent care visit is a hard environment for a child with autism: bright lights, unfamiliar rooms, a wait of unknown length and a stranger with an otoscope. Five Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care centers on Long Island now carry an Autism Friendly designation that is meant to change that, in Lake Success, Hewlett, East Northport, Syosset and Yaphank.

The designation comes through the company's partnership with Autism Speaks, and it reflects two kinds of work: specialized training for the care teams, and physical changes to the centers themselves.

What a designated center does differently

The centers that hold the designation are set up so the environment itself can be turned down. GoHealth's announcements describe lights that dim, sensory kits available for patients, and tools for communicating without speech, along with training that prepares staff to recognize and support patients with autism spectrum disorder rather than rushing them through a standard visit.

The company also publishes two tools families can use before anyone gets in the car. A care guide walks through a visit from start to finish, so a patient can read with a caretaker exactly what will happen and in what order. And a printable My Care Card lets a family write down how the care team can best support the patient, and hand it over at the front desk instead of explaining from scratch in a loud waiting room.

It started on Long Island

When the Lake Success, Hewlett and East Northport pediatric centers earned the designation in 2024, GoHealth says they were the first urgent care locations in the nation to do so. The program has since grown to more than 50 urgent care centers across New York, Texas, Georgia and South Carolina, and the designated list in this region now runs to eight, including a Staten Island center and two in the Hudson Valley.

On Long Island, the designated centers are Lake Success at 1436 Union Turnpike in New Hyde Park, Hewlett at 1332 Peninsula Boulevard, the Elwood center at 1950 Jericho Turnpike in East Northport, Syosset at 103 Jackson Avenue, and Yaphank at 527 Boulevard East. The Elwood location now houses the pediatric center that earned the original designation, after the East Northport pediatric and adult centers were combined under one roof.

GoHealth cites an estimate of nearly 20,000 children on Long Island on the autism spectrum, which is the population this is built for: families who put off care, or default to a hospital emergency department, because a routine visit is too much.

Where to find them

The Lake Success, Hewlett and Elwood centers are open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Hours, wait times and walk-in availability for all five Long Island locations, along with the care guide and My Care Card, are posted on GoHealth's Northwell pages at gohealthuc.com.

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