September 2023
WORCESTER (September 12, 2023) – Open Sky Community Services, a nonprofit behavioral health and human services organization, today announced that it has been awarded a three-year CARF accreditation of its behavioral health programs, for meeting internationally recognized benchmarks for standards of care and quality of services.
“The CARF accreditation reflects the hard work of every employee in our organization and their commitment to meeting the needs of the people we serve and helping them to improve their lives,” said Open Sky President and CEO Ken Bates. “We are especially proud that the CARF report acknowledges our commitment to staff development and training, as we are continuously trying to improve the quality of our programs and services.”
The CARF site survey is a rigorous, three-day process during which a team of surveyors visits programs, observes business operations and service delivery, and reviews policies, financial statements, recordkeeping and extensive program documentation, including behavioral health outcomes. The surveyors also conduct confidential interviews with employees, board members, persons served and family members.
The areas of strength noted in the CARF report include:
- Open Sky staff providing an environment of care that helps minimize the stigma of mental illness and give a sense of accomplishment to individuals that greatly contributes to their ability to function in the future;
- A positive sense of community for staff and persons served;
- Unanimous praise from referral sources for being a consistently high-quality treatment provider; and
- Open Sky’s strong efforts to identify strategies for employee recruitment, retention and advancement.
CARF accreditation has been the recognized benchmark of quality health and human services for more than 50 years. Accreditation is an ongoing process that distinguishes a provider’s service delivery and signals to the public that the provider is committed to continuous performance improvement, responsive to feedback and accountable to the community and its other stakeholders.
About Open Sky Community Services
Open Sky Community Services is a 501(c)3 nonprofit agency based in Worcester that has been opening doors for individuals in our community for over 50 years. The agency provides a wide range of services throughout Central Massachusetts for children, adults, and families with mental health challenges, intellectual and developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, brain injury, homelessness and other complex challenges. Open Sky Community Services has over 1,300 dedicated employees and more than 100 programs throughout the region, supporting over 5,000 individuals annually. Open Sky is committed to race equity and is on a journey to learn, grow, teach and transform. For more information, please visit www.openskycs.org.