Mountainside Treatment Centers Get 3.7 ASAM Certification

Published on December 14, 2020
Mountainside Canaan Aerial Shot

Connecticut rehab is 1 of 3 in the country to hold 3.7 ASAM certification as well as dual accreditation! Read more.

 

Canaan, CT – With two epidemics raging – COVID-19 and the opioid crisis – access to high-quality mental health services is even more urgently needed. Mountainside Treatment Center in Canaan, Connecticut is the only rehab in the state to be accredited by both CARF International and The Joint Commission, two nationally recognized healthcare accrediting bodies. This month, Mountainside adds a new certification from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) to its prior achievements.

Accreditation status is a primary indicator of the quality of services offered by providers. While accreditation is not mandatory for a treatment center to operate, it indicates that a rehab has attained a level of distinction beyond the norm. Providers who go beyond to obtain, not one, but two accreditations have proven their ability to deliver exemplary services, incorporate client feedback, and continue raising the bar in their programming.

According to data from the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), of its members, only 23 treatment centers boast a dual accreditation status. Just three rehabs in the Northeast can claim this, and Mountainside is the sole treatment facility in Connecticut to meet the stringent criteria for both The Joint Commission and CARF International.

Mountainside’s Residential program has further earned a 3.7 level of care certification – one of the highest industry standards – from the American Society of Addiction Medicine. It denotes treatment programming that provides outcomes-driven, specialized services, 24-hour nursing care, psychiatric services, and additional resources for those with severe medical, emotional, and cognitive needs. This makes Mountainside 1 of only 16 rehabs in the country who are ASAM 3.7 certified, and 1 of only 3 in the entire US to hold this endorsement plus acclaim from CARF International and The Joint Commission.

Mountainside implements a dynamic combination of clinical and holistic therapies across its continuum of care, which includes its Residential, Detox, and Outpatient Services programs. With over twenty years in the industry, the rehab’s dedication to providing an unsurpassed client experience is reflected in its ability to achieve dual accreditation, and now, special recognition from ASAM.

In the shadow of the pandemic, behavioral health services have become increasingly dire, yet many rehabs have had to reduce their services or close due to the pandemic. Preliminary data from the Connecticut Department of Health found that there was a 20 percent rise in the number of unintentional overdose deaths from January to July of 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019. Litchfield County has been particularly hard hit. In 2019, the county had the highest drug overdose mortality rate (41.4 percent) in the state. Increased awareness about the dangers of substance abuse as well as improved access to quality treatment is needed in order to reverse this trend.

“We have always striven to uphold a ‘loved one standard of care,’ meaning we continuously ask ourselves whether our clients are receiving the same best-in-class services we would expect and hope that our own family and friends would receive,” says Andre Basso, Chief Executive Officer at Mountainside. “Our dual accreditation status and ability to meet the selective ASAM criteria reconfirms our commitment to providing vulnerable individuals with highly efficacious medical and clinical treatment for their unique needs.”