BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Broward County Elderly and Veterans Services Division Behavioral Health Section (Behavioral Health Section) has achieved national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA). The Behavioral Health Section provides the following services: assessment, targeted mental health case management and peer recovery support. Organizations pursue accreditation to demonstrate the implementation of best practice standards in the field of human services. COA evaluated all aspects of the Behavioral Health Section’s programs, services, management, and administration as part of its accreditation.
COA accreditation is an objective, independent, and reliable validation of an agency’s performance. The COA accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of an organization’s administration, management, and service delivery functions against international standards of best practice. The standards driving accreditation ensure that services are well-coordinated, culturally competent, evidence-based, outcomes-oriented, and provided by a skilled and supported workforce. COA accreditation demonstrates accountability in the management of resources, sets standardized best practice thresholds for service and administration, and increases organizational capacity and accountability by creating a framework for ongoing quality improvement.
To achieve COA accreditation, the Behavioral Health Section first provided written evidence of compliance with the COA standards. Thereafter, a group of specially trained volunteer Peer Reviewers confirmed adherence to these standards during a series of on-site interviews with administrators, community partners, staff and clients.
An endorsement of COA and the value of its accreditation process is reflected in it being named by the U.S. State Department as the sole national independent accrediting body under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption to accredit intercountry adoption service providers. In addition, COA is the only national accreditor designated by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop accreditation standards and processes for human service programs provided to military personnel and their families.
Founded in 1977, COA is an independent, not-for-profit accreditor of the full continuum of community-based behavioral health care and social service organizations in the United States and Canada. Over 2,000 organizations — voluntary, public, and proprietary; local and statewide; large and small — have either successfully achieved COA accreditation or are currently engaged in the process. Presently, COA has a total of 47 service standards that are applicable to over 125 different types of programs. To learn more about COA, visit COAnet.org.
The Behavioral Health Section serves individuals 55 years of age or older with severe mental illness who are living in Broward County. The Section has been providing mental health services to seniors since 1979 and is funded by Broward County and the Florida Department of Children and Families through the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition.
About Elderly and Veterans Services
The Elderly and Veterans Services Division empower elders and veterans and their families, and improves their quality of life through aging-in-place support. Veterans Services aids veterans, their widows, dependents and dependent survivors regardless of age or other status. Our free services are focused on attainment and/or maintenance of self-sufficiency. For more information, call 954-357-6622.
DATE: October 7, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Andrea Busada, Director
Elderly and Veterans Services Division
PHONE: 954-357-6622
EMAIL: abusada@broward.org