Pulaski County Regional Crisis Stabilization Unit Receives National Accreditation
| The Pulaski County Regional Crisis Stabilization Unit, staffed by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), is the state’s first nationally accredited unit and the first UAMS program to be accredited by CARF International.
CARF International, formerly the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, is an international organization that provides accreditation worldwide for behavioral health programs. The Pulaski County unit, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month, received notice Aug. 8 that it had received a three-year accreditation based on a recent survey conducted by CARF officials.
The Pulaski County CSU staff includes a multi-disciplinary team of nurses, social workers, prescribers and psychiatric technicians. The 16-bed unit has had a total of 500 admissions since opening last year.
“Obtaining a national accreditation is not only required to maintain our status as an Acute Crisis Unit in the state of Arkansas, it signifies the program is providing a very high standard of care for our patients,” said Lisa Evans, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and medical director of the Pulaski County unit. “A full three-year accreditation indicates the program is compliant with over 1,500 standards related to health and safety, leadership, effectiveness, quality of care and excellent patient advocacy.”
The Pulaski County Regional Crisis Stabilization Unit is one of four such units in Arkansas authorized in 2017 by the state Legislature to serve those in the midst of a mental health crisis. The Sebastian County Five West Crisis Stabilization Unit opened in February 2018 while the Northwest Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Unit opened in June in Fayetteville. The fourth unit is expected to open later this year in Craighead County.
“Pulaski County couldn’t have better a partner operating the CSU than UAMS,” said Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde. “It continues to grow and I’m very optimistic about its future.”
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report named UAMS Medical Center the state’s Best Hospital; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide; and named six areas as high performing — cancer, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery. UAMS has 2,727 students, 870 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.