Aspen Education Group Announces Full Program Accreditation

CARLSBAD, Calif., Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Education Group, the nation's largest provider of therapeutic education programs for struggling or underachieving teens, today announced the achievement of accreditation by every one of its nationwide facilities, the only organization of its kind to achieve such a feat.  All of Aspen's residential schools and outdoor behavioral health (wilderness) programs are now accredited by The Joint Commission or CARF (the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities).

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The Joint Commission's "Gold Seal of Approval" and CARF accreditations represent the highest levels of accreditation that can be awarded to organizations and show Aspen Education Group's substantial conformance to nationally accepted standards of excellence.  These standards address important functions relating to the care of individuals served and the management of the facility.

"We are extremely proud of this record achievement of all-program accreditation and its reflection on the quality of treatment within Aspen's programs for struggling teens," said Dr. Phil Herschman, Chief Clinical Officer for Aspen's parent company, CRC Health Group.  "To be the first and only organization to so fully endorse the importance of accreditation for troubled teen programs is a testament to our commitment to clinical excellence for the students and families we serve."

The accreditations are the result of rigorous peer review processes and on-site surveys that illustrated to the accrediting bodies that the Aspen programs and services are of the highest quality, provide measurable results and assure accountability.

CARF accrediting officials noted particular strengths in the Aspen programs' operations including the high-quality, dedicated and friendly staff, comprehensive programming, innovative educational services, and thorough safety policies and procedures.  CARF surveyors also noted the programs' welcoming environments and the high level of satisfaction from referring professionals, students and families.  In addition, special attention and commendations were paid to Aspen's outcome studies that illustrated positive program results.

"A lot of hard work goes into these accreditations and I am very pleased with our programs' successes," said Ruth Moore, Sr. Vice President of Compliance and Quality Management for CRC Health.  "We are also grateful to The Joint Commission and CARF for their time and efforts, and for recognizing the distinctive quality of Aspen Education Group's network of programs."

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 18,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.  An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

Founded in 1966, 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.  The accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.

Aspen Education Group's nationwide services range from short-term intervention programs to residential treatment, and include a variety of therapeutic settings such as boarding schools, outdoor behavioral health programs and special needs summer camps, allowing professionals and families the opportunity to choose the best setting to meet a student's unique academic and emotional needs.  Aspen is a member of CRC Health Group, the nation's largest addiction treatment and behavioral health services organization.  For more information, visit www.crchealth.com.

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Phil Herschman
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SOURCE Aspen Education Group