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NCCHC's 2008 Mental Health Standards and Accreditation Program
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Standards Concept Comparison |
| The mental
health standards parallel the standards for
health services, although there are minor
variations. To see how they stack up, consult this
Concept Comparison chart. |
| To order the
Mental Health Standards, please see the
Publications
Catalog. |
NCCHC publishes standards specifically for mental health services
and offers voluntary
accreditation program based on these standards. These tools
can help facilities determine proper levels of care, organize
systems more effectively and efficiently, and demonstrate that
constitutional requirements are being met.
Why a separate
set of standards? Mental health care has been integral to the
NCCHC standards and accreditation program from the start. When
the first standards for jails were developed in the 1970s—with
the input of mental health professionals—it was decided to
integrate medical and mental health standards to encourage a
unified and holistic approach to inmate care.
But as
correctional institutions have grown and the number of
incarcerated persons with mental illness has soared, systems are
developing new strategies for providing treatment to these
inmates. Some systems have opted to manage mental health
services under a legal authority separate from their other
correctional health services. As a result, it was necessary to
develop a set of standards and an accreditation program designed
for this model. Intended for correctional facilities of any
size, these standards parallel those for health services in
format and substance, but they are more explicit in what is
required for adequate delivery of mental health services.
The mental
health services accreditation program operates in the same
manner as that for health services. That is, it involves an
on-site survey and professional judgment as to whether the
applicant meets the NCCHC Standards for Mental Health
Services in Correctional Facilities.
Likewise, the
mental health standards parallel those for health services in
both format and substance. The difference is that they make more
explicit what the standards require for adequate delivery of
mental health services. The standards cover the general areas of
care and treatment, clinical records, administration, personnel
and relevant legal issues.
As always,
NCCHC assists correctional facilities in meeting the
standards and in their ongoing improvement in delivery of care.
Contact us:
Director of Accreditation
National Commission on Correctional Health Care
1145 W. Diversey Pkwy.,
Chicago, IL 60614
773-880-1460
accreditation@ncchc.org
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