Mettu Children’s Museum Renews Designation as a Certified Autism Center™, Enhances Care for All Patients

Mettu Children’s Hospital was the first children’s hospital in eastern Kentucky to earn the Certified Autism Center™ designation in 2023.

PIKEVILLE, KY, UNITED STATES, July 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) renews the Mettu Children’s Hospital at Pikeville Medical Center’s (PMC) Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation. To renew the credential, at least 80% of the children’s hospital’s patient-facing staff completed up-to-date training to help them best support, assist, and care for every child, especially autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals and their families.

“Receiving the Certified Autism Center™ reaccreditation reinforces our deep commitment to providing compassionate, specialized care to every child and family we serve," says Tondra Polly, PMC executive director of women & children's services. "I’m incredibly proud of our team for continuing to embrace the training and going above and beyond to create a safe, welcoming environment for children on the autism spectrum. This recognition honors their dedication and the heart they bring to their work every day."

“IBCCES is proud to continue our partnership with Mettu Children’s Hospital at Pikeville Medical Center and renew their Certified Autism Center™ designation,” says Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman. “This renewal is a testament to the hospital’s dedication to creating an inclusive environment where every child and family feels welcome and supported.”

For more than two decades, IBCCES has been a leader in providing autism, sensory and neurodiversity training and certification for professionals worldwide, including those in healthcare, education, public safety, travel, and corporate sectors. As the only credentialing board offering these programs, IBCCES provides training from subject matter experts and autistic self-advocates, along with long-term support, continuous learning, onsite reviews, and renewal requirements to ensure continued growth and lasting impact.

To further support inclusivity efforts, Mettu Children's Hospital is featured on the IBCCES Accessibility App, which is free to download. This app provides individuals with a variety of disabilities real-time guidance on certified destinations, sensory-friendly spaces, and tailored recommendations. By connecting users to accessible locations worldwide, the app helps ensure seamless, enjoyable experiences for everyone.

IBCCES also provides access to resources such as CertifiedAutismCenter.com and AutismTravel.com, free online tools for families that list certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) requirements.

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About Pikeville Medical Center
Pikeville Medical Center is a 348-licensed-bed regional referral center and Kentucky’s only level II trauma center. PMC offers over 400 services, including every major specialty and many subspecialties, and features the region’s most advanced medical technology. PMC employs nearly 3,300 people and has almost 600 credentialed healthcare providers.

PMC’s mission is to advance the health and well-being of our region through comprehensive care in a Christian environment. For more information, please visit www.pikevillehospital.org

About IBCCES
Delivering the global standard for training and certification in the fields of autism, neurodiversity, and accessibility – IBCCES provides a series of certification programs that empower professionals to be leaders in their field and improve the outcomes for the individuals they serve. For over two decades, IBCCES has been a global leader, setting the industry standard in autism and cognitive differences training. IBCCES works in over 111 countries and provides training in 8 languages, and its programs have been recognized around the world as the leading benchmark in training and certification.

In addition to individual certification programs, IBCCES partners with cities, destinations, and organizations on initiatives like the Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD) and Autism Certified City™ (ACC), ensuring autistic and sensory-sensitive residents and visitors feel welcomed and safe. Destinations that achieve the CAD designation have completed a specialized program that ensures a multitude of recreation, hospitality and entertainment organizations have completed an autism and sensory-sensitivity training, certification and IBCCES facilities review process. The ACC designation expands on that program and includes IBCCES training and certification for the public safety, education, healthcare and workplace sectors.

IBCCES also created the Accessibility App, AutismTravel.com, and CertifiedAutismCenter.com – free resources for individuals with a variety of neurodiversities and disabilities, listing certified locations and connecting individuals to other resources and each other.

Meredith Tekin
IBCCES
+1 904-508-0135
marketing@ibcces.org
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