Cetea celebrates two years with over 93 thousand services provided to people with autism in Pará
Specialized center in Belém is a national reference and reinforces the care network for people with disabilities in the State
The Specialized Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder (Cetea) completed two years of operation in Belém in October. The unit, which is part of the Government of Pará's service network, is managed by the Integrated Center for Inclusion and Rehabilitation (CIIR).
The celebration included the traditional birthday song with cake for users, families, and collaborators. Since its opening, Cetea has been expanding access to specialized and humanized care for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In 2024, 47,270 services were provided, and from January to September of this year alone, 46,647, demonstrating the continuous growth of the assistance offered.
The State Secretary of Public Health, Ivete Vaz, also highlighted the positive impact of Cetea on the state network for people with disabilities. "The Government of Pará has been strengthening a network that welcomes and cares. Cetea is an example of a public policy that transforms realities and ensures access to specialized care, with quality and sensitivity. These two years represent the beginning of a story of many advances," pointed out the secretary.
Transformative care
For families living with ASD, Cetea represents more than a therapeutic space: it is an environment of learning, socialization, and belonging.
Waldete Suely Paulo, 65, grandmother of Luca Marcelo, eight years old, summarizes what the service has meant for her family. "When Luca arrived here, he couldn't speak, he didn't eat by himself, and he wore diapers. Today, he dresses himself, eats, and goes to the bathroom without help. It was a transformation. Cetea brought freedom for him and for me. I can say it was a blessing in our lives," she shares.
Reference in specialized care
Cetea was inaugurated in 2023 and is the first state public service in Pará dedicated exclusively to interdisciplinary care for people with ASD. The center offers services in the areas of speech therapy, psychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, music therapy, psychopedagogy, and nursing, in addition to support for families and training for professionals.
It is the first public center in the country focused on training staff from the Unified Health System (SUS) and on providing care for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It also has the first professional training laboratory in evidence-based practices for autism in Brazil, establishing itself as a pioneering service within SUS.
For CIIR, which manages Cetea, the date reinforces the importance of integration between units and the continuous investment in public policies aimed at inclusion, as well as the positive impact on the state network for people with disabilities.
"Our word is gratitude to you, gratitude to all our collaborators, to our users, to families, and also to the State Government, through the State Secretary of Health of Pará (Sespa), which created this space, a reference in other states of Brazil," emphasized Rejane Xavier, Executive Director of CIIR.
The care coordinator of Cetea, Sâmilly Batista, also highlighted the relevance of the service. "Today we celebrate two years of work that combines science and empathy in serving our users. Cetea reaffirms itself as a pioneering service in Brazil, providing quality assistance and transformation. It is a joy to coordinate a center with such social impact, with so many lives being transformed, with so many families being served and having their reality changed by care provided by SUS," she emphasized.
With two years of history, Cetea reaffirms its essential role in the state health network, promoting person-centered care, inclusion, and citizenship, principles that reflect the mission of CIIR and the Government of Pará to offer increasingly humane, accessible, and transformative public care.
Access – Users can access Cetea's services through a referral from the Basic Health Unit (UBS), welcomed by the Regulation Center of each municipality, which in turn forwards to State Regulation. The request will be analyzed according to the user's profile by the State Regulation System.
Service: CIIR is an agency of the Government of Pará, managed by the National Institute for Social and Human Development (INDSH), in partnership with the State Secretary of Public Health (Sespa). The unit is located at Rodovia Arthur Bernardes, 1000, Val-de-Cães neighborhood, in Belém.
Cetea operates at Rua Presidente Pernambuco, nº 489, Batista Campos neighborhood.
For more information: (91) 4042-2157/58/59.
Text: Danielle Carvalho - Ascom CIIR
