Foothills Gateway Continues 40-Year Tradition of Ongoing Accreditation
Larimer County, Colorado — CARF International announced that Foothills Gateway has been accredited for a period of three years for its Community Services Programs that include Community Integration and Respite as well as Employment Services which include Community Employment in job development and employment supports and Organizational Employment Services. The latest accreditation marks 41 consecutive years of accreditation that the international accrediting body has awarded to Foothills Gateway.
This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the 1,000+ CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality. While on-site, the team of surveyors were able to meet with many individuals receiving services and staff, and also contacted family members/guardians and State of Colorado staff to talk about the services Foothills Gateway provides.
A major strength the CARF survey noted involves Foothills Gateway’s Person Centered approach. The organization has developed a means to help ensure that every individual has a voice in his/her plan and can make informed choices that affect his/her own life. The survey stated: “The organization’s team approach emphasizes that communication, compassion, and concern are the driving forces that underpin Foothills Gateway’s commitment to quality service provision.”
Established in 1972, Foothills Gateway coordinates and provides services and supports for approximately 2,400 Larimer County citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Funding for programs including housing, supported employment, early childhood intervention, supervision, adult respite, and transportation services, comes from county, state, federal and private funds.
CARF International 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. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.