The UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health has received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services including behavioral medicine. The accreditation is under UNC Behavioral Health Community Access and Recovery Empowerment (UNC BH CARES), which is an accrediting collaboration of the Center and UNC Horizons, a program in the UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The accreditation extends through May 2020.
To receive accreditation, an organization must demonstrate it provides quality care using established standards and customer satisfaction. A team of CARF professionals visited service locations in April, consulted with staff and providers, and interviewed individuals who receive services. Center programs surveyed included Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), outpatient treatment programs, and employment services. Horizons’ surveyed programs included two outpatient treatment programs for alcohol and drug addictions.
A three-year full CARF accreditation is an affirmation of high quality community-based comprehensive services provided by our Center,” says Thava Mahadevan, MS, director of operations at the Center. “At the end of the day, what matters is people we serve have access to these services, and we are very proud of our clinicians and staff.”
Mahadevan and Elizabeth “Beth” Rossi, BA, director of quality management, led the Center’s accreditation process, working closely with UNC Horizons and the CARF team.
The Center, created in 2009 by a grant from The Duke Endowment, provides a continuum of behavioral (mental health) services at locations in Orange, Wake and Chatham counties. Its programs include outpatient services at STEP clinics in Orange County, the Wake STEP and OASIS Community Clinics in Wake County along with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services in Orange, Chatham and Wake counties. UNC Horizons provides interdisciplinary care for women and their children in Orange, Alamance and Wake counties affected by substance use disorders.