FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Berkshire County Arc
395 South Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
BCArc Receives CARF Accreditation for All Programs
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (June 27, 2018) –During the days of April 11-13, Berkshire County Arc (BCArc) opened its doors to a team of four CARF International surveyors to be put through a rigorous process of over 1700 standards, checks and balances of best practices, and quality controls. The outcome of this survey is a maximum three year certification, which BCArc was awarded. BCArc is the first agency in MA to be accredited for Adult Family Care (AFC) services.
The feedback that the surveyors gave to BCArc administration and staff at the closing session on Friday afternoon April 13, was exemplary. They stated that they were most impressed with BCArc’s sole focus being on the individuals served and empowering individuals to own and control their days, as well as their living spaces from picking out window treatments and paint colors to bedding and personalizing paintings and drawings on the walls in residences. This shows very clearly that the programs and houses are laid out to put individuals first, “putting BCArc in the TOP 3 for individualized preferences in homes across the country”, according to one of the CARF surveyors.
Special attention was noted on the level of strategic planning done by the agency and the longevity of staff and high employee satisfaction rate, as well as a highly specialized administration team and advanced use of technology.
Kenneth W. Singer, President & CEO of Berkshire County Arc, said of the survey, “It was with great pride that we listened to the four surveyors’ report of their three day visit to our agency. After visiting many programs, speaking with families, individuals served, funders, as well as many staff they had nothing but accolades. Everyone should feel very proud”.
“CARF accreditation signals a service provider’s commitment to continually improving services, encouraging feedback, and serving the community. Accreditation assists service providers to improve the quality of their services and meet internationally recognized standards. Consumers, their families, and the public look for CARF accreditation as assurance that providers strive to offer the highest quality services. Funders, insurers, referral agencies, and government regulators recognizes that CARF-accredited providers are accountable and a better risk” (http://www.carf.org/home/).
About Berkshire County Arc
Founded in 1954, Berkshire County Arc is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing a broad range of community-based services to 750 individuals with developmental disabilities, brain injuries and autism throughout Berkshire and Hampden Counties in Massachusetts. The agency offers three day programs, 39 residential programs, employment services, citizen- and self-advocacy programs, respite services, an adult family care program and Zip ‘N Sort Mail Services. For more information, media professionals may contact Katrina Cardillo at 413-499-4241, ext. 254 or kcardillo@bcarc.org, or visit https://bcarc.org.
Contact:
Katrina Cardillo
Director of Marketing & Development
413-499-4241 ext. 254
kcardillo@bcarc.org
