From the Daily Globe –
WAKEFIELD — CARF International announced that Gogebic Community Mental Health Authority has been accredited for a period of three years for its Assertive Community Treatment, Case Management/Services Coordination, Community Housing, Crisis Intervention, and Employment Services/Employment Supports/ Job Development programs. The latest accreditation is the seventh consecutive Three-Year Accreditation that the international accrediting body has awarded to CMHA. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during a multi-day onsite visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable. Gogebic Community Mental Health Authority is a non-profit organization with offices at 103 West U.S. 2, Wakefield. It has been providing the services as listed above, in addition to other programs and services, throughout the Wakefield, Bessemer, Ironwood, Marenisco and Watersmeet areas since 1976. CARF is an independent, non-profit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF International, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. “The CARF survey process is always a very stressful time for staff,” said Missy Lane, Quality Improvement Coordinator, who organized the survey. “There were close to 1,600 international standards that the organization had to be in compliance with and everyone worked extremely hard to assure compliance and maintain the organization’s Three-Year Accreditation status.” In addition to the review of international standards for compliance, CARF surveyors also interviewed CMHA staff, CMHA Board Chairman Steve Thomas, and numerous individuals receiving CMHA services. CMHA’s full survey report can be found on their web site at gccmh.org. For additional information on CARF or the accreditation process, visit carf.org or contact Lane at 906-229- 6106