CHS Earns COA Accreditation

It’s official! CHS has successfully transitioned from Joint Commission accreditation to COA accreditation! Achieving this milestone reflects months of collaboration across all programs. While Joint Commission worked well for our residential programs, COA better aligns with the full range of services we provide and reviews how all our programs work together to support children and families at every stage of their journey.

Hope Perini, Compliance Director at CHS, led the accreditation process, ensuring CHS met COA’s nationally recognized standards for quality and effectiveness.

“Going through this process affirms that CHS delivers high-quality, evidence-based services while operating with accountability, professionalism and care,” said Hope.

CHS completed an extensive process that included detailed documentation, program and operational evaluations and an in-depth site review performed by experienced peer reviewers.

While we already practiced many COA standards, the accreditation process highlighted opportunities to strengthen workflows by formalizing policies and procedures and maintaining consistency across all programs.

Along with their feedback on how we could strengthen our organization, receiving their praise was even more noteworthy.

• “The Shelter is the most beautiful domestic violence facility I’ve ever seen.”
• “The Outpatient Mental Health program is new but mighty. CHS identified gaps in the community and acted on them.”
• “CHS has strong training programs.”
• “CHS’s client rights demonstrate that they treat people with dignity and respect.”

Over the next four years, COA accreditation will guide ongoing quality improvement efforts and help enhance our programs. Most importantly, COA reinforces our promise to keep clients at the center of everything we do.