The Autism Services, Education, Resources & Training Collaborative (ASERT) has announced the launch of a Statewide Resource Center to provide streamlined access to information for the estimated 30,000 Pennsylvanians living with autism. Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is one of the three primary ASERT partners statewide, serving central Pennsylvania. The other primary partners are Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders in western Pennsylvania and A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University in eastern Pennsylvania.
The three components of the ASERT Resource Center are a statewide toll-free number for live assistance, 877-231-4244, a new website, www.PAautism.org, and outreach specialists available for community participation. The website offers information about local, regional and statewide events, professional training opportunities, community resources, services, current research and other information relevant to the autism community.
The ASERT Statewide Resource Center is funded by the Bureau of Autism Services within the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. The center is designed to serve as the Commonwealth’s leading source for up-to-date and accurate information and resources for individuals with autism, their families, the community and the professionals who support them.
The ASERT Collaborative is a partnership of medical centers, centers of autism research and services, universities, community organizations, and other providers of services involved in the treatment and care of adults and children with autism. It serves as a national model of effective public-private partnerships that are able to provide support on a wide scale through the most effective use of existing resources.