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Timberline Knolls Receives Gold Seal of Approval(TM) From Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

Posted on: Thursday, 16 November 2006, 12:00 CST

National residential treatment center Timberline Knolls has earned the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' Gold Seal of Approval™ by demonstrating compliance with the organization's national standards for health care quality and safety.

Following an on-site survey of the 43-acre Timberline Knolls campus in late October by the Joint Commission's highly trained, certified behavioral health care professionals, the Joint Commission issued its three-year accreditation to Timberline Knolls this week. Carol Schneider, the chief executive officer of Timberline Knolls, says the Gold Seal of Approval accreditation is integral to demonstrating the center's commitment to providing exceptional quality of care for residents.

"The Joint Commission is the only health care accrediting body that requires surveyors to be certified, which makes this recognition even more meaningful to us," said Schneider. "These surveyors talked at length with our psychiatrists, psychologists, direct care and support staff, and residents; and experienced our campus firsthand before issuing this accreditation."

With a 55-year history, the Joint Commission is dedicated to improving the safety and quality of the nation's health care through voluntary accreditation. Since 1971, the Joint Commission has evaluated organizations like Timberline Knolls that provide mental health, chemical dependency and other psychosocial services. As the most recognized seal of approval for behavioral health care providers, Joint Commission accreditation helps behavioral health care providers improve performance, raise level of care to clients, demonstrate accountability and increase participation in managed care and other contracted arrangements, according to Mary Cesare-Murphy, Ph.D., executive director of the Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program for the Joint Commission.

"To receive this accreditation, Timberline Knolls was evaluated against a set of more than 250 standards addressing everything from patient rights to education by a Joint Commission team experienced in the delivery of behavioral health care services," said Cesare-Murphy. "Achieving accreditation demonstrates Timberline Knolls' commitment to providing high and safe quality care on a daily basis from the top down."

Opened in March of this year, Timberline Knolls specializes in treating women ages 12 and older for a combination of emotional problems that can include self-injury behavior, substance abuse, eating and other or co-occurring disorders. Timberline Knolls offers a unique evidenced-based approach and customized treatment plans to help residents at all stages of the recovery process, and aims to be the last stay at a residential or acute care facility for residents.

The center recently expanded its treatment offering through an exclusive agreement with Meier Clinics, a national group of 23 Christian-focused clinics offering outpatient and day-program mental health services. Additionally, Timberline Knolls received approval from the ValueOptions network, and extended its resident profile to include women over the age of 21.

Timberline Knolls employs 57 professionals recruited from distinguished Chicago-area healthcare organizations, including Northwestern and University of Chicago Hospitals. To view the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval, and for more information on Timberline Knolls, visit www.timberlineknolls.com.

Source: Business Wire

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