Vermont Business MagazineFollowing a comprehensive review, Howard Center has received a Centers of Excellence (COE) accreditation through Vermont Care Partners (VCP). The COE accreditation is based on numerous quality and performance measures, including world class customer service, comprehensive care, easy access, excellent value, and excellent outcomes. The achievement identifies Howard Center as a provider of high quality care, and enhances the organization’s ability to provide much needed services for vulnerable Vermonters.
Modeled after the National Council for Behavioral Health’s Centers of Excellence, the VCP’s COE accreditation process promotes quality improvement and high quality services through agency review by expert peers from VCP member agencies and the University of Vermont Medical Center Jeffords Institute for Quality.
Matthew MacNeil, Howard Center Director of Evaluation, played a key role in guiding the accreditation review process and notes, “We are grateful for this recognition as it helps shine a spotlight on the outstanding work of our dedicated staff. Howard Center is committed to continuous quality improvement and strives to ensure that everyone in the community has easy access to the effective supports provided by our programs.”
VCP is a statewide network of 16 non-profit community-based agencies that provide mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services and supports. VCP provides support to Vermont’s designated agencies by promoting evidenced based best practices, providing legislative advocacy, offering technical assistance and consultation, and coordinating statewide trainings.
Howard Center helps 16,000 people in over 60 locations and four counties each year with mental health, substance use, and developmental services. Howard Center’s 24/7/365 mobile crisis service, First Call for Chittenden County is available to meet the needs of Chittenden County children, adults, and families in crisis at 802-488-7777. Howard Center is a funded agency of the United Way of Northwest Vermont. www.howardenter.org. Help is here.