Enhancements illustrate commitment to caring for and supporting patients and families
Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida is now the second hospital in the United States and the first in Florida to receive the designation of being a Certified Autism Center™. Earning this designation requires International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) training and certification of at least 80% of public-facing staff in autism and sensory differences.
Along with the Certified Autism Center™ designation, Golisano Children’s Hospital introduced SeaStar, Safety Education Awareness – Sensory Training – Autism Readiness, which is a first-of-its-kind program for our children’s hospital and one that identifies processes, locations and areas that are sensory-friendly to our patients and families. The team also added a brand-new sensory-friendly ambulance to the fleet to ensure the comfort and safety of patients with autism. Golisano Children’s Hospital is the first hospital to pilot this ambulance with their autistic population.
“Golisano Children’s Hospital was already a point of pride for all of us at Lee Health, and now, being a Certified Autism Center™, SeaStar program and the new ambulance, we have even more reasons to be proud of our children’s hospital and our teams there,” said Donna Clarke, Lee Health Board of Directors chair. “This sincere and comprehensive commitment to caring for patients with autism and sensory sensitivity ensures they and their families get the best possible care.”
People with autism spectrum disorder have different ways of learning and paying attention and may have problems with social interaction and communication. Pursuing and achieving the Certified Autism Center™ designation means that more than 600 of our team members completed the required training and have the knowledge, skills and abilities to interact with and treat autistic patients and those who are sensory-sensitive. To celebrate and share the news of this exciting milestone at our children’s hospital, we created a short, two-minute, 43-second video. We invite you to check out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L1pTSqWlUg.