Charleston County News Release
MEDIA CONTACT
Name: Jennie Davis, Charleston County Public Information Officer
Phone: 843.958.4012
Email: jdavis@charlestoncounty.org
Release Number: 2900
Date: July 3, 2008
Charleston Center Achieves International Accreditation
Commission for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International accreditation represents the highest level of accreditation that CARF awards to an organization.
Charleston County’s Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, commonly known as Charleston Center, received notification that it has been awarded a three-year accreditation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International. CARF is a nationally recognized authority and promoter of quality services for people with disabilities.
This is the fifth consecutive three-year accreditation awarded to Charleston Center. The award follows a rigorous three-day site visit by a team of surveyors who looked at all aspects of Charleston Center’s treatment and business practices.
“We are very proud of this distinguished accreditation,” said Mark Cowell, Charleston Center Director. “The decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the County’s substantial commitment to meeting the CARF standards.”
The accreditation will be valid through June 2011.
SIDEBAR ON CHARLESTON CENTER
Charleston Center, a department of Charleston County Government, offers a comprehensive array of inpatient, outpatient, education and prevention programs to help improve the quality of life in and around Charleston County.
Charleston Center is one of 33 county alcohol and drug abuse authorities recognized by the state of South Carolina. With a staff over 150 dedicated professionals, it serves more than 5,000 people each year.
The center provides the only public methadone program in South Carolina for people addicted to opiates. It also runs a treatment program in the Charleston County Detention Center, which has proven highly successful in reducing recidivism and re-arrest rates.
Charleston Center has been helping people overcome addiction for over 30 years.
Created by the S.C. General Assembly, the Charleston County Substance Abuse Commission opened its doors in 1974 in a trailer on Courtenay Drive in downtown Charleston.
It became a department of Charleston County Government in November 1993 and was formally renamed the Charleston County Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Services (DAODAS), although it is more commonly known as Charleston Center.
Charleston Center’s prevention programs reach out to the Charleston County school system and to the general public by providing information and activities to demonstrate healthy lifestyles and reduce addition to alcohol and other drugs, including tobacco.
The center has a 24-hour helpline: (843) 722-0100
SIDEBAR ON CARF
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served.
Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.