Ñuble’s health service, El Carmen municipality, and a local hospital have launched a pioneering three-way partnership to deliver specialist autism care closer to home for children and teenagers, reducing travel and increasing early support.
Ñuble’s health service, the municipality of El Carmen and the local community hospital have signed a three-way agreement to bring specialist care closer to children and teenagers with suspected or confirmed autism spectrum disorder in the pre-mountain area of the region. The arrangement is intended to reduce travel burdens for families and improve access to early assessment and support in a public system that is trying to respond more quickly to neurodevelopmental needs.
Marianela Sandoval Bustos, acting director of the Ñuble Health Service, said the initiative follows guidance linked to Chile’s mental health action plan and to the public network’s response for autistic children and adolescents up to the age of 17 years, 11 months and 29 days. She said the work will focus on early detection, diagnostic confirmation and timely therapeutic support. The Ministry of Health says its 2019-2025 mental health action plan is designed to strengthen community-based care, improve inclusion and set out concrete measures to address mental health needs across the country.
The programme will involve psychologists, speech therapists and occupational therapists, with 608 sessions allocated to each professional area during the implementation period, for a total of 1,824 appointments. El Carmen mayor Renán Cabezas Arroyo said the municipality set aside 18 million pesos for the scheme, arguing that it will help close access gaps, avoid unnecessary journeys and support a more inclusive approach for users and their families. Nationally, Chile also runs child mental health support programmes in primary care, including PASMI, which is aimed at children aged 3 to 9 with suspected or diagnosed mental health disorders.
Álvaro Zúñiga Arias, acting director of El Carmen’s community family health hospital, said the professionals will work at the facility and be integrated into its clinical and operational flow. Depending on each case, he said some care may also take place at home, in schools, in community spaces or remotely. The partnership divides responsibilities between the health service, which sets the technical framework, the municipality, which handles hiring and administration, and the hospital, which coordinates local care. Authorities say the aim is a more nearby, timely and inclusive public response for autistic children, teenagers and their families.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
