Sarah Yu

I grew up alongside my older brother, who is autistic. Every time a new teacher, therapist, caregiver, or provider entered his life, my family found themselves having to re-explain his routines, his preferences, what helped him feel comfortable, and what made a hard day harder.

The information itself was not complicated. His information lived in binders, in conversations, in text messages, and in the memory of whoever happened to know. Each handoff was a chance for something important to get lost.

As a kid, I attended Saturdays in Motion (SIM), a program at my local YMCA, with my brother. I came back as a volunteer when I was older, and it was there that I started paying attention to how other families handled the same challenge. I reached out by email to more than 100 SIM families, surveyed families about how they keep care information organized, and spoke with professionals at The Arc to learn what works well and where things tend to break down.

Around the same time, an internship with Assemblyman Andrew Macurdy taught me how public service works, and how much of it depends on the right information reaching the right person at the right time. I researched New Jersey's health information system in hopes of finding more ways to support local families.

CareThread is my attempt to answer the question I kept running into: how can families keep important documents, plans, and details organized in one place and share them safely with the people who need them, so care does not have to start over every time someone new steps in?