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Julie Walsh
Director of Public Relations
Tel: (856) 348-4006 Fax: (856) 216-0643

Erin Allsman
Brownstein Group
Tel: (215) 735-3470, ext. 121 eallsman@brownsteingroup.com

 

4.22.10 | CARF renews accreditation, offers glowing report

The international agency that accredits rehabilitation facilities has issued a report praising Bancroft’s Brain Injury Services and Community Employment Services for adults, and continuing accreditation of those programs for three more years – the maximum term. (Bancroft only sought re-accreditation of these programs this year.)

“Bancroft demonstrates a strong commitment to a person-first environment, with a conscious effort to remove barriers to inclusion,” wrote CARF in its recent report on Bancroft. “Persons served are treated with dignity and respect.”

The following statements are excerpts are from the report by CARF, the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities:

  1. The commitment, dedication, enthusiasm, and knowledge level of the directors and staff members are strengths.
  2. Bancroft is complimented for active community involvement. Many staff members are involved on boards of other organizations as well as serving as adjunct professors at local colleges and universities.
  3. The organization is acknowledged for providing Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialist (ACBIS) training to all employees working in a brain injury program at no cost to the employee.
  4. The strategic planning efforts, as represented by the leadership and board of directors, reflect vision, innovation, creativity, and determination to expand services to provide state-of-the-art facilities and programs to persons served.
  5. The organization provides a wide array of simple assistive technology, such as touch-screen computers, adapted keyboards, and large button phones. The assistive technology needs of the persons served are frequently assessed in their residential, day program, and work settings to ensure that needs are met.
  6. In the present economic environment with a high unemployment rate, Bancroft has utilized volunteer sites to help keep persons served job ready.
  7. The persons served and their family members state that they are pleased with the services, outcomes, and care provided at the Plainsboro site. There is demonstrated respect for choices and preferences of persons served.
  8. Bancroft has dedicated, energetic staff that supports the persons served in maximizing their level of independence and community access.
  9. The cognitive rehabilitation programming reflects the highly creative and focused therapeutic design that is built through regular collaboration and structured supervision.
  10. The organization has developed an extensive community integrated activity program that provides persons served many opportunities to be part of their community.

CARF also identified the following areas as exemplary, and stated:

  1. Bancroft is commended for initiating self-evaluation projects to reduce turnover of personnel within the organization.
  2. The organization is recognized for the excellent job it does in orienting new personnel as well as providing ongoing education and training.

CARF strives to help organizations improve, and therefore made a series of recommendations, including:

  1. The organization is rich in data collection; however, performance indicators for business function improvement should be set and measured.
  2. Bancroft should develop and collect data consistently at points in time following services. This could include using a protocol with standard questions and time lines for follow-up calls to persons served. This information could then be reviewed and used to establish performance indicators.
  3. Consider rewriting program descriptions to address safety issues that can be considered restrictive with respect to personal rights.
  4. Use satisfaction survey data to establish performance indicators.
  5. Provide written disclosure statements to persons served that include a description of the scope and intensity of services and estimated length of stay.
  6. Establish criteria for transition to different services along Bancroft’s continuum, to facilitate a continued focus on furthering independence and transition planning.

All recommendations are reviewed for performance improvement opportunities.