Ashcreek Ranch Academy
Toquerville, UT

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Ashcreek Ranch Academy
Receives JCAHO Accreditation

Ashcreek Ranch Academy has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval® for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for health care quality and safety in behavioral health care. The accreditation award recognizes Ashcreek Ranch Academy's dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission's state-of-the-art standards.

Ashcreek Ranch Academy underwent a rigorous on-site survey in October 2012. A team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated Ashcreek Ranch Academy for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of individuals served and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

"In achieving Joint Commission accreditation, Ashcreek Ranch Academy has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for the people they serve," says Mary Cesare-Murphy, Ph.D., executive director, Behavioral Health Care Accreditation, The Joint Commission. "Behavioral Health accreditation is a voluntary process and I commend Ashcreek Ranch Academy for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves."

"With Joint Commission accreditation, we are making a significant investment in quality on a day-to-day basis from the top down. Joint Commission accreditation provides us a framework to take our organization to the next level and helps create a culture of excellence," says Tammy Behrmann, Executive Director. "Achieving Joint Commission accreditation, for our organization, is a major step toward maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide."

The Joint Commission's behavioral health care standards address important functions relating to the care of individuals served and the management of behavioral health care organizations. The standards are developed in consultation with behavioral health care experts, providers, measurement experts, individuals served and their families.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, 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 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,300 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,500 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission currently certifies more than 2,000 disease-specific care programs, focused on the care of patients with chronic illnesses such as stroke, joint replacement, stroke rehabilitation, heart failure and many others. The Joint Commission also provides health care staffing services certification for more than 750 staffing offices. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

Ashcreek Ranch Academy (ARA) was created by professionals with extensive experience who are passionate about working with teenagers. The primary focus at ARA is to create a program which is unsurpassed in assisting adolescent boys in overcoming the damaging effects of substance abuse and early addiction. Every program, rule, attitude, and approach starts with the understanding that recovery is possible and with the right tools and knowledge each student can learn to make new choices for a happy, healthy and meaningful life.

Ashcreek Ranch Academy combines an intense clinical model with a specialized substance abuse and addiction recovery program, a challenging academic program focused on maximizing a student's potential, and an amazing horsemanship program designed to encourage hard work, to build self-esteem and self-improvement by working daily with the horses and animals at the ranch. ARA also has a challenging sports, physical fitness and adventure program. Weekly community service allows the students to build character through serving and helping others. The small personalized community allows students to receive the individualized attention needed to turn their life around.

Ashcreek Ranch Academy is a therapeutic boarding school that assists adolescent boys in overcoming the damaging effects of substance abuse and early addiction.