Sacramento, Calif. – WellSpace Health earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for its Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), becoming the first CCBHC accredited by The Joint Commission in Northern California and the second statewide.
The announcement came with WellSpace’s re-accreditation for Ambulatory Care and Behavioral Health & Human Services, and re-certification as a Primary Care Medical Home and Behavioral Health Home.
“Clinically, this is a dream come true,” said WellSpace Health CEO Dr. Jonathan Porteus, who is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. “Bringing a national best practice to our region and pairing it with Accreditation and Certification from the nation’s premiere healthcare quality and patient safety organization exemplifies the model of care we have spent decades building at WellSpace.”
The Joint Commission began accrediting CCBHC’s in 2023 as a part of their Behavioral Health & Human Services program. According to The Joint Commission, the CCBHC “is a growing care model that offers creative solutions with documented results to meet the challenges facing behavioral health care organizations across the nation. Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are making significant headway toward access to equitable, high-quality behavioral health care that’s sustainable.”
“When it comes to expanding access to comprehensive mental health care, CCBHCs have proven their ability to close the treatment gap and provide care when and where it’s needed most,” said Congresswoman Doris Matsui. “By volunteering to undergo the additional scrutiny of accreditation, WellSpace is going above and beyond to demonstrate their commitment to the CCBHC model and giving their patients the highest quality of care. I am thrilled that they are leading the way to further solidify the important role that CCBHCs can play in the Sacramento region.”
To earn accreditation, WellSpace underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review in July where a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with 1,800 individual standards spanning all areas of care, including those covering care, treatment or services provided; environment of care; leadership; human resources; outcomes measurement; and rights and responsibilities of individuals served. Further, health home certifications were awarded by confirming WellSpace’s ability to integrate and coordinate an individual’s behavioral health and primary physical health care services, facilitating seamless access to a broad array of behavioral health care, medical care and community-based social services and supports.
“As a healthcare accreditor, The Joint Commission works with healthcare organizations across care settings to inspire safer and higher quality of care that is more equitable and compassionate,” said Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer, The Joint Commission. “Through collaborating on innovative solutions and evidence-based resources and tools, The Joint Commission helps drive improvement while maintaining accountability through our leading survey methods and standards. We commend WellSpace Health for its commitment to advance safety, quality, equity and compassion for all patients.”