American Fork, Utah – December 2, 2014 – Mendability, a company that provides Sensory Enrichment Therapy for Autism, today announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Behavioral Health Care Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective care.
Mendability’s Sensory Enrichment Therapy for Autism is a carefully constructed protocol of sensory exercises conducted at home. It is based on years of research and clinical trials conducted at The University of California Irvine (UCI). Researchers at UCI documented marked improvement in children with autism, ages 3 to 12, who engaged in sensory enrichment therapy. Sensory enrichment activities can include placing hands in bowls of water with different temperatures, walking on surfaces with different textures, smelling different scents and other simple activities that can be done at home using household items which engage the senses.
Mendability is a telehealth provider — the therapy is delivered through web-based technology. There are no medications involved, and it is fully complementary with standard autism care.
Mendability underwent a rigorous on-site survey in September 2014. During the review, compliance with behavioral health care standards related to several areas. Those included care, treatment, and services, as well as environment of care, leadership, and screening procedures for the early detection of imminent harm. On-site observations and interviews were also conducted.
Established in 1969, The Joint Commission’s Behavioral Health Care Accreditation program currently accredits more than 2,100 organizations for a three-year period. Accredited organizations provide treatment and services within a variety of settings across the care continuum for individuals who have mental health, addiction, eating disorder, intellectual/developmental disability, and/or child-welfare related needs.
“Joint Commission accreditation provides behavioral health care organizations with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas related to the care of individuals and their families,” said Tracy Griffin Collander, LCSW, executive director, Behavioral Health Care Accreditation program, The Joint Commission. “We commend Mendability for its efforts to elevate the standard of care it provides and to instill confidence in the community it serves.”
Clinical trials have shown Mendability to be an effective complementary therapy to standard care like ABA and Occupational Therapy. The Joint Commission appreciated the fact that Mendability’s telehealth model can provide effective therapy to those that are beyond the reach, either financially or geographically, of standard care like ABA.
“Mendability is pleased to receive Behavioral Health Care Accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” added Rich Bohne, CEO of Mendability. “Staff from across the organization continue to work together to develop and implement approaches and strategies that have the potential to improve care for those in our community.”
The Joint Commission’s behavioral health care standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, quality improvement measurement experts, and individuals and their families. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help organizations measure, assess and improve performance.
About Mendability:
Mendability is the inventor of Sensory Enrichment Therapy for autism. Sensory Enrichment Therapy is an evidence-based, clinically-validated therapy to promote brain plasticity and make living with autism simpler and more comfortable. It involves sensorimotor exercises that stimulate concurrently two or more senses such as olfactory, tactile, visual, balance, motor systems, etc. Mendability is a low-cost, structured protocol that parents and caregivers can administer at home without the use of medications. For more information, please visit www.mendability.com, or call 1 (888) 579-7002.
About The Joint Commission:
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 accredits and certifies more than 20,500 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including hospitals and health care organizations that provide ambulatory and office-based surgery, behavioral health, home care, laboratory and nursing home services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. The Joint Commission has two nonprofit affiliate organizations: The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare aims to solve health care’s most critical safety and quality problems and Joint Commission Resources (JCR) provides consulting services, educational services and publications. Joint Commission International, a division of JCR, accredits and certifies international health care organizations. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
Media Contact:
Ann Norman
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