Elevating care by achieving high standards, HOPE and CVN continue to address critical mental health needs and gaps in care for military members and their families under CARF accreditation.
The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Hope For The Warriors has reached a significant milestone by receiving a three-year CARF accreditation. CARF, which stands for Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, is an independent, nonprofit health and human services accreditor.
HOPE’s Chief Impact Officer/CIO Emma Walsh, who oversaw the team that prepared for the extensive process, is excited and proud that HOPE and CVN are being recognized for the work they’ve already done since launching in 2020.
“Our team has opened up a clinic in a pandemic and facilitated mental health resources in a time when mental health resources are scarce. We did so in the most professional, highest standard, and now we’re being recognized for it,” Walsh said.
The CVN clinic, located in Jacksonville, NC, provides confidential, high-quality behavioral health care services at little to no cost without long wait times to post-9/11 veterans, active duty service members with a TRICARE referral, and military families.
Christopher Hunt is the director of the clinic, which is a local resource connection for the community, including Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, and the greater Onslow County area.
“They (CARF) are saying that we are safe, they’ve inspected us, and they have confidence in us to deliver the service that we say we are going to deliver,” Hunt said.
Some of those services include client-centered therapy for various mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, adjustment issues, anger, grief and loss, family issues, transition challenges, relationship problems, and children’s behavioral problems.
“What we do here is very important. There’s no one like us in town. We are not a barrier to care,” Hunt said.
Dave Martin, the Head of People and Culture for HOPE, created 14 new policies for the organization throughout the accreditation process.
“These were good prompts for the organization to do. If you get this CARF accreditation, it means a lot,” Martin said.
With the newly minted CARF accreditation, veterans and their families can continue to trust that they will receive excellent personalized care at The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Hope For The Warriors.
“With a CARF accreditation, it just showed that we put our clients at the center of everything we do, from making sure we have safety checks annually to our clinical records being appropriately documented and inclusive,” Walsh said.
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