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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation’s youth treatment center recently earned the highest level of accreditation from a national commission. The center is the only Native American treatment center to receive this accreditation in the region.

The Cherokee Nation’s Jack Brown Center (JBC) earned this award after a review in November by the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

"This accreditations reflects the commitment the Jack Brown Center staff and the Cherokee Nation Health Division have to quality client care", said Shawn Terry, Director of Operations for the Cherokee Nation Health Division.

"I am extremely pleased that the Jack Brown Center received this 3 year accreditation from CARF", said Janet Smith, Director of the Jack Brown Center. “We could not have achieved this without the commitment of the JBC staff who are well-trained, experienced, compassionate professionals and the commitment of Cherokee Nation Health Administration, who provides strong support and leadership to JBC.

This is the second time that the JBC has been accredited by CARF, and also makes them the only accredited Native American adolescent facility Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.

This accreditation outcome, which represents the highest level of accreditation, is awarded to organizations that show substantial fulfillment of the standards established by CARF. CARF gave the JBC a Three-Year Accreditation after passing a rigorous peer review process and demonstrating that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable.

"Further, an organization accredited for three years clearly indicates that present conditions represent and established pattern of total operations that is likely to be maintained or improved in the foreseeable future", CARF said in a written statement.

JBC is a youth treatment center located just south of Tahlequah on US Highway 62. This 25-bed facility currently houses 11 patients and approximately 30 employees on a 24-hour coverage basis.

CARF is an independent, not-for-profit accrediting body promoting quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consecutive accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Since 1966, CARF has established consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.