HSS Gets Rave Reviews from COA

This week, Human Support Services completed the on-site review process for the Council of Accreditation (COA), an international, independent, nonprofit, human service accrediting organization.

(At left, HSS Executive Director Robert Cole, Jeanne Borromeo-Otty, Ed Cote, and HSS board members Jan Crawford and Bob Polansky celebrate the completion of the COA site visit.)

Every four years, we go through the lengthy, multi-step process so that we can maintain our COA status.

Initially, our managers fill out and send in documentation indicating how our organization is performing in all areas, from finance and facilities management to governance and ethics.

COA also furnishes HSS with surveys that we send out to clients, staff, managers, partners, other agencies and community stakeholders. Individuals complete the surveys anonymously before returning them directly to COA for review.

COA representatives compile and review all the data from the surveys and our documentation before coming to HSS for a site visit.

The site visit, which this year took place June 12-13, is the opportunity for COA reps to verify that all practices, policies and procedures are operating as they should.

“We did very, very well,” said Anne King, HSS chief program officer. “They were very complimentary to all of us for every program.”

Now that the site visit is complete, COA staff will finalize their report. Soon we’ll receive our new certification for the next four years.

“Out of all the reviews I’ve been through this was the most positive,” said Susan Harbaugh, HSS chief financial officer.