KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville woman is struggling to find state-sponsored private duty nursing for her son who has severe disabilities after a nursing agency ended its service recently.
The young mother has applied for assistance, but so far, no new agency has been found. Erica Clark wants to keep her 13-year-old son Kingston, who has complex needs, at home where he’s been all his life. She believes Kingston would not thrive at a state-run facility. She relies on TennCare to provide private duty nursing, but the most recent agency ended its service in mid-March.
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Kingston is legally blind; he can’t walk, talk, or see. As an infant, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. His doctor told Erica he would likely not live to see his 13th birthday. Until mid-March, he had special nurses seven days a week through a TennCare Select agency. This gave her time to work, with Erica stating that until recently, she worked full-time.
“They would come in to administer all of his medication. At 9 in the morning, 2 p.m., and 9 p.m., three times a day,” said Erica…