Board Achieves the Culture of Quality certification
The Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County achieved the Culture of Quality certification in the spring of 2024. The Culture of Quality is a collaborative effort of the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities and its member Boards designated to enhance quality, promote statewide consistency, and demonstrate accountability of Board operations while retaining the autonomy of each local Board area.
To achieve the Culture of Quality, Boards volunteer to participate in a peer certification that involves the assessment of the Board’s conformance with the COQ standards. Peers from other behavioral health Boards conduct an intensive evaluation of a Board’s operation in over 140 standards. Areas covered in the survey include: Public Affairs/Education/Community Relations/Policy/Advocacy/; Risk Management & Insurance; Board Health & Safety; Human Resources; Mission & Program; Governance; Board Finance & Operations; and Ethics.
“We spent months preparing our policies and other documents for the two-day survey,” said John Garrity, PhD, executive director of the Mental Health Recovery Board of Portage County.
“Rebecca Rood, our Director of Compliance and Quality Improvement led the project for us. She did an outstanding job,” commented Garrity.
Some of the Board’s strengths that were noted during the certification were the work the Board has done to enhance the crisis system in Portage County with the development of the new Crisis Center. The Board is working with Coleman Health Services on a capital project to expand crisis services for adults, children, and families. It is anticipated that this project will begin later this year with an anticipated finish date in the fall of 2025.
Other noted strengths were the comprehensive resource guides for mental health and addiction, outreach into the minority community, and safety features in the office such as the addition of an AED defibrillator.
“We are very proud of our Board staff for completing this process,” stated Board Chair William Nome. “Updating all of our policies will improve the overall quality of the Board’s operations.”
The COQ certification is for a three-year period.
The Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County is responsible for the planning, funding, and monitoring of public mental health and addiction treatment and recovery services delivered to the residents of Portage County. For more information, visit www.mental-health-recovery.org
