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Accreditation
NCCHC's voluntary health services accreditation program is well-known and well-respected
among the nation’s prisons, jails and juvenile detention
facilities. Nearly 500 institutions of all shapes and sizes
participate in the program, including most of the largest and
most innovative in the country.
Health services accreditation confers many
benefits. It promotes and documents an efficient, well-managed
system of health care delivery. It lends prestige to the
facility, increases staff morale, aids recruiting efforts, helps
to obtain community support and provides additional
justification for budgetary requests. Accreditation can help
protect financial assets by minimizing the occurrence of adverse
events. In many instances, accreditation reduces liability premiums and protects facilities from lawsuits related to health care. Accreditation also benefits the health of the public, staff and inmates by assuring that those incarcerated and released receive adequate and appropriate health care.
But what, exactly, is
accreditation? Established in the 1970s, it’s a process of
external peer review in which NCCHC, a private, not-for-profit
organization, grants public recognition to correctional
institutions that meet its nationally accepted
Standards for Health Services.
Through the accreditation process, NCCHC renders a professional
judgment regarding health services provided and assists
correctional facilities in their continued improvement.
Developed by experts from the professions of health, law and corrections, separate standards exist for health care delivery in jails, prisons, and juvenile detention and confinement facilities.
The areas covered by the
Standards include:
- Governance and administration
- Safety
- Personnel and training
- Health care services and support
- Inmate care and treatment
- Health promotion
- Special needs and services
- Health records
- Medical-legal issues
To learn more about how
correctional facilities become accredited, read our overview of the process
or download the
Accreditation Brochure.
Contact Us
Accreditation Department
National Commission on
Correctional Health Care
1145 W. Diversey Pkwy.,
Chicago, IL 60614
Phone 773-880-1460,
Fax 773-880-2424
Email accreditation@ncchc.org
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