Riverside Clubhouses Receive Accreditation

Dedham, MA, September 19, 2016-Riverside Community Care operates four Clubhouses—community based centers for those with mental illness built on peer support. Over the summer, Elliot House, Neponset River House, and Crossroads Clubhouse received 3 year accreditations, the highest achievable level of accreditation from Clubhouse International, an organization that helps communities develop Clubhouses and maintains their standard of quality. Riverside’s fourth Clubhouse, Horizon House is undergoing an accreditation visit this fall.

The organization’s reports listed many strengths of the three clubhouses including, “Elliot House’s … commendable Employment Program, [which] exceed[s] Clubhouse International Employment Guidelines benchmarks.” It also listed Neponset River House’s, “highly supportive ‘Friends and Family of NRH’ [group] and [its] strong community ties.” Clubhouses International report also commended Crossroads on their leadership “in advocacy and in the Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition and [its] strong working relationships with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Services.”

Don Hughes, Riverside’s Vice President of Community Living Services was pleased but not surprised with the review decisions saying “these accreditations confirm what I already knew to be true; our Clubhouses are irreplaceable parts of each community they exist in and hold themselves to the highest standards when it comes to providing Clubhouse services of the best quality.”

About Clubhouse International

Clubhouse International is multi-national non-profit organization that helps communities around the world create sustainable solutions for mental illness by developing and nurturing new and existing Clubhouses.

Now over 300 worldwide, Clubhouses are community-based centers that offer members opportunities for friendship, employment, housing, education, and access to medical and psychiatric services through a single caring and safe environment, so members can achieve a sense of belonging and become productive members of society.

Clubhouse International develops the standards for Clubhouse Accreditation, manages the process, and coordinates research and advocacy to improve public awareness of the Clubhouse approach. It also delivers quality training and consultation to help Clubhouses achieve and maintain Accreditation.