PALM CITY, Fla. (May 6, 2021) – Tykes & Teens has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Behavioral Health Care and Human Services Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. This is the fourth time in a row that Tykes & Teens has earned this accreditation, including 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2020.
Tykes & Teens underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review December 29 – 30, 2010. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with Behavioral Health Care and Human Services standards spanning several areas, including emergency management, infection prevention and control, and leadership among others.
The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.
“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Tykes & Teens for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”
“Earning The Joint Commissions Accreditation for the fourth time in a row is a true testament to Tykes & Teens’ 100-plus passionate and professional team members who work tirelessly each and every day to provide the highest quality of mental health and prevention services for the children and families we serve throughout the Treasure Coast,” Tykes & Teens CEO Eric Garza, MHA, LCSW.
While The Joint Commission accreditation review happens every three years, Tykes & Teens’ preparation for the accreditation review is an ongoing process of continuous oversight of the agency’s policies and procedures in order to maintain compliance and ensure delivery of the highest level of standards. All new and revised standards are reviewed and interpreted by Tykes & Teens’ Continuous Quality Improvement Committee prior to policy and procedure updates and revisions.
For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.
About Tykes & Teens
Tykes & Teens has been a leading mental health provider for children and adolescent evidence-based programs and services for 25 years. Our passion and commitment are to empowering children and strengthening families by ensuring that all children have access to high quality counseling and mental health services, regardless of financial status. Our mission is prioritizing children’s mental health in our families, schools and communities through a wide range of prevention, education, and treatment programs and services. We also advocate for increased awareness of mental health to remove the stigma and shame often associated with seeking mental health treatment. Since our inception, we have provided affordable quality mental health services for more than 60,000 children in need across the Treasure Coast from more than 50 service locations, including outpatient offices in Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Port St. Lucie, and Vero Beach, on-site services in all Martin County schools, and in schools in Okeechobee and Indian River counties, as well as collaboration with numerous community partners, in addition to virtual telehealth services. We have continued to offer our services and programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including virtual telehealth care. We accept most insurance, private payments, and we are a Medicaid-approved provider. We have successfully administered a sliding fee scale for those in need when necessary for more than 20 years. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, we also provide $750,000 in unreimbursed services to the communities we serve each year. Follow us on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn.
