CARF International announced that DeKalb Community Service Board (CSB) has been accredited for a period of three years for its public mental health, addictive diseases and developmental disability programs. CARF, the international accrediting body, has awarded accreditation to DeKalb CSB since 2007.
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. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality.
The CARF survey stated that “the staff is motivated, responsive, enthusiastic and passionate” and “the persons served expressed great satisfaction with the staff, programs and services.”
Some of the DeKalb CSB’s strengths praised in the CARF survey that directly benefit DeKalb citizens include:
- The agency’s partnership with the DeKalb Police to provide a mobile crisis unit to respond to citizens with mental health and substance abuse related crises in the community.
- The agency employing specially qualified and experienced staff to meet the unique needs of special populations such as refugees and individuals with hearing impairment.
- The agency’s partnership with Oakhurst Medical Centers to provide clients with onsite primary health care services.
Gary Richey, CEO of DeKalb CSB, said, “I am extremely proud of the work that our staff does to support DeKalb citizens with mental health, addiction and developmental disabilities. We are grateful for the unwavering support of our funders, contributors and community partners. Together, we are working hard to ensure that access to these essential services are readily available within our community.”
DeKalb CSB is an innovative, community-based behavioral health and developmental disabilities services organization in metropolitan Atlanta, GA that serves more than 10,000 adults and youth annually. As a public, not-for-profit organization, the DeKalb CSB operates more than 20 locations in DeKalb County and employs a diverse workforce of more than 500 clinical, medical and support staff.
CARF is an independent, nonprofit 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. For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.
For information about DeKalb CSB’s programs and services, call 404-892-4646 or visit www.dekcsb.org.
