Keys to Quality Care – Concept on Golden Keychain over Black Wooden Background. Closeup View, Selective Focus, 3D Render. Toned Image.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration tells us that when looking for substance abuse treatment, accreditation is key for quality care. We believe this is important not only for our substance use disorder treatment programs, but for all of our programs. All of DCCCA’s programs have been accredited through the Council on Accreditation since 2007 as well as being licensed by their governing state agencies.  “Accreditation validates the professionalism of our staff and the quality of services provided by our agency.  The COA credential provides tangible evidence of what DCCCA does well and how we can continue to improve services,” said Lori Alvarado, DCCCA CEO.

One of our core values focuses on Quality Improvement and is a direct reflection of our commitment to maintain approval from the Council on Accreditation:

Delivering High Quality Services Every Day
and Holding Ourselves Accountable for Our Outcomes

Why does DCCCA participate in accreditation?

• The COA accreditation process helps us prove our commitment, not just to licensing standards, but a higher level of standards in comparison to our peers.
• We choose to participate in this process to hold ourselves accountable on a higher level and be able to say “We do what we say we are doing, what we are doing is useful to our communities, and here is how we know that.”

What is different between accreditation and state licensing?

• We must not only say we provide safe, supportive, and quality care, we must prove how we do that daily. Accreditation requires that we have processes for reviewing critical incidents, addressing client and public complaints, and routinely gathering stakeholder feedback.

How does COA accredit ensure quality care?

COA is an international, independent, nonprofit, human service accrediting organization. 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.