STHS earns international autism certification

An image of the waiting area at St. Tammany Health System's Pediatric Emergency Department. The health system's Pediatric ED, along with its inpatient pediatric unit, has been named a Certified Autism Center by the ABCCES. (STHS file image)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 26, 2020
CONTACT: Melissa Hodgson ABC APR | 985-898-4131 | mhodgson@stph.org

STHS Earns International Autism Certification for Two Pediatric Departments
IBCCES certifies pediatric inpatient and emergency departments, signifying autism-specific trained staff

COVINGTON – Two St. Tammany Health System Pediatric Departments are now a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC), a designation granted by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). The designation means that physicians and staff in the inpatient pediatric unit and pediatric emergency department completed an additional autism-specific training and certification program to improve patient outcomes and experiences.

“We are excited to earn this designation because it gives local families confidence that they can entrust their autistic loved one’s care to us,” Cindy Ingram RN, St. Tammany Health System assistant vice president of women’s and children’s care, said. “Through this process, we have learned how to interact with our autistic patients from the time we enter their care space. Everything we do and how we do it shows that patient that we can be trusted and are there to help. This is vitally important for autistic patients because they experience interpersonal interactions differently, and we’re grateful to IBCCES for instilling these skills in our team.” 

For more than 20 years, IBCCES has been the industry leader in cognitive disorder training and certification for education, healthcare, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES provides evidence-based training and certification programs created in conjunction with clinical experts and individuals with autism in order to provide professionals serving individuals with cognitive disorders a better understanding of what these disorders are, industry best practices, and the latest research in these areas.

“IBCCES is excited to work with these two departments at St. Tammany to build upon their team’s expertise. Our specialized programs will help their clinicians and staff do what they do best – provide the best care for their pediatric patients,” said Myron Pincomb, IBCCES Board Chairman.

IBCCES also created CertifiedAutismCenter.com, as a free online resource for parents that lists certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) requirements.

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St. Tammany Health System is the heartbeat of its community, caring for patients and families with excellence, compassion and teamwork; it will strengthen the health of its community with compassion, innovation and partnership and is recognized for quality, safety and the patient experience by CareChex, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Women’s Choice and US News & World Report. St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 is an independent service district in a clinically integrated partnership with Ochsner Health. Together, the two organizations focus on aligning their healthcare offerings to best serve patients and families in west St. Tammany and surrounding areas. Under their agreement, each retains its autonomy; neither manages nor owns the other. Self-supporting, not-for-profit STHS receives no tax funding. stph.org

Delivering The Global Standard For Training and Certification in The Field of Cognitive Disorders – IBCCES provides a series of certifications that empower professionals to be leaders in their field and improve the outcomes for the individuals they serve. These programs are the only training and certification programs endorsed by the largest grassroots autism organization in the world, The Autism Society of America, and recognized around the world as the leading benchmark for training and certification in the areas of autism and other cognitive disorders. CertifiedAutismCenter.com