JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The recent government shutdown posed a significant threat to a local therapy center that supports military families and children with special needs, potentially forcing it to cease operations.

After First Coast News shared the center’s plight, the story caught the eye of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., leading to legislative action aimed at providing much-needed assistance.

When First Coast News initially interviewed Genevieve Covington on October 9, she was confronting an overwhelming challenge.

Covington’s business, Bloom Behavioral Solutions, which specializes in therapy for children with special needs, was grappling with the adverse effects of the government shutdown.

The center had not received payments since Sept. 23, and with more than 40 employees and dozens of military families as clients, Covington wasn’t sure how she would pay her staff or keep services going.

“Journalists like you that were receptive to hearing our stories, had an actual direct impact,” said Covington.

After speaking with me, advocacy groups like the Council of Autism Service providers, shared Covington’s story with lobbyists in Washington, D.C. during the shutdown.

Covington said they were able to process a backlog of claims, leading to back pay for providers.

“What they did was they collected all of those news articles, and ours was one of the No. 1 featured ones,” Covington said. “They directly tied the news articles and those discussions and interviews to Congress, allowing payment for dates of service. That was like Christmas Day for everybody.”

Bloom Behavioral Solutions received payments covering about 2 ½ weeks.

“It wasn’t 100% of what we were owed, but it was enough for us to get by, to be able to pay our employees, and that was really, really, really, really good for us to be able to do and to continue to provide services,” Covington said.

For now, Bloom is back on its feet and families they serve are back on stable ground.

“I’m gonna try not to cry, but an overwhelming amount of support from our families thanking us for continuing to provide services,” said Covington.

Covington says she’s grateful for the advocacy groups, lawmakers and the community who stepped in during a crisis.

She hopes this moment pushes federal leaders to protect autism services in the future.