Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 30, 2026 – Construction is advancing on Puerto Vallarta’s regional autism and intellectual disability center, bringing a new public source of diagnosis, therapy and family support closer to communities along the Jalisco coast.
Personnel from Jalisco’s Secretariat of Infrastructure and Public Works recently inspected the construction site and reviewed the execution schedule with architecture, engineering and legal teams overseeing the project.
The center is being built beside the Centro Cultural y Deportivo La Lija in Coapinole, on the former site of the Vida Nueva children’s shelter. The location places the facility within an established public service and recreation area accessible from El Pitillal and surrounding neighborhoods.
Puerto Vallarta’s City Council cleared the way in November 2025 by approving the transfer of 5,190.02 square meters of municipal property to DIF Jalisco. The municipal agreement specifically designates the land for the construction and operation of an autism and disability center.
The project has been presented with an estimated investment of 20 million pesos from the Jalisco government. Development has included an executive design contract valued at approximately 2.18 million pesos, with nearly 11.96 million pesos allocated to preliminary construction and foundation work.
The foundation phase began June 13 and is scheduled to conclude August 26. Work at this stage includes preparing the site and establishing the structural base needed as construction moves into the center’s principal facilities.
Plans call for early diagnosis, sensory integration therapy, hydrotherapy, physical rehabilitation, specialized educational support and psychological assistance to families. The center is also expected to offer training and employment inclusion programs serving adolescents and adults.
Project information lists a capacity of up to 300 users at a time. The broader state network serves autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities between ages 3 and 60.
Puerto Vallarta will join a growing state system that includes specialized facilities in Zapopan and Guadalajara, a partnership with the Teletón center in the Guadalajara metropolitan area and the first regional center outside the capital region, which opened in Tepatitlán in May.
The Jalisco autism center network provides evaluations, specialized therapies, language services, cognitive stimulation, physical rehabilitation, occupational therapy, medical consultations, family psychological care and pre-employment workshops.
The Puerto Vallarta project extends that model to the Costa Sierra Occidental region. Families who previously depended on private treatment, limited local programs or travel to Guadalajara will have access to a public regional facility within the city.
The center is also supported by Jalisco’s new autism law, which took effect July 18. The legislation establishes the regional centers as part of a permanent state network administered by DIF Jalisco and directs the state executive to include resources covering their creation, expansion and operation in annual budget proposals.
The law also establishes a state autism registry and an interagency commission connecting health, education, social assistance, employment, justice and family care. These measures place the Coapinole center within a broader public system rather than treating it as an isolated construction project.
SIOP’s latest inspection confirms that the project has moved from planning and land preparation into active construction. Completion of the foundation phase on August 26 will mark the next scheduled step in developing the regional facility.