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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown, which is part of the North Dakota Department of Human Services, received a three-year accreditation from The Joint Commission for its hospital and behavioral health care programs. The Joint Commission also accredited the hospital’s laboratory services area for two years.

A team of Joint Commission experts conducted thorough on-site surveys in April and August and evaluated the hospital for compliance with standards of care, such as infection prevention and control, leadership, and medication management.

State Hospital Superintendent Rosalie Etherington, Ph.D., thanked staff for providing quality care and said “Accreditation helps assure the public and our partners that the State Hospital meets required standards for quality, patient safety, and the care environment.”

The North Dakota State Hospital has 300 total treatment beds and provides specialized mental health and substance abuse treatment services to many uninsured and under-insured individuals with severe and chronic behavioral health needs who are unable to access other inpatient behavioral health treatment.

The hospital also provides substance use disorder treatment services through its Tompkins program for adults referred from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and locked residential evaluation and treatment services for sexually dangerous individuals.

Currently no private community inpatient mental health and addiction treatment services are available in the 27 counties that comprise the Devils Lake, Dickinson, Jamestown, and Williston regions of the state. The hospital works with the department’s eight regional human service centers and other providers to help patients transition to community-based outpatient treatment and recovery support services.

Joint Commission accreditation is a voluntary process. 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. Standards are developed in consultation with health experts, providers, measurement experts, and individuals served and their families.

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 18,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Founded in 1951, it is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting, accrediting body in health care.