Dr. Laura Bailet Appointed to Governor Crist’s Task Force on Autism

Jacksonville, Florida
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 @ 04:28 PM EDT
by: Odette Struys; (904) 697-4186; ostruys@nemours.org

JACKSONVILLE, FL – Laura Bailet, PhD, Executive Director of Nemours BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative, a Jacksonville-based pioneering program that offers screening to identify four-year olds at risk of reading difficulty, was appointed by Governor Charlie Crist of Florida to the Task Force on Autism Spectrum Disorders yesterday.

“This is truly an honor and I’m very appreciative of this opportunity to make meaningful contributions at the state level,” said Laura Bailet, PhD, Executive Director of Nemours BrightStart!. “Autism has been a major focus for me professionally for many years. I look forward to participating on this task force and helping families who struggle with this challenging disorder.”

Bailet’s appointment succeeds Toni Crawford’s expired term. Bailet’s term begins on July 16th, 2008 and ends on June 30th, 2009. The other two appointees are Jarl K. Jackson of the Tallahassee Asperger Support Coalition and Lisa Precourt, a home school mother from Orlando.

For more information or for media interviews please contact Odette Struys at: (904) 728-1026.

About Nemours BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative
Nemours BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative is a project of Nemours, one of the nation’s largest children’s health systems, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. Offering free screenings to pre-kindergartners in Duval County, Nemours BrightStart! identifies children at-risk for dyslexia and provides intensive educational intervention, in an effort to prepare them for reading success in kindergarten. For additional information call: (904) 858-3118 or visit www.nemours.org.

modified: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 @ 07:35 AM EDT
created: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 @ 04:25 PM EDT

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.