UKIAH – Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Inc. (MCHC) has been awarded accreditation by the Joint Commission of Accreditation on Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the nation’s leader in establishing recognized “best practices” in the field of healthcare. By demonstrating compliance with JCAHO’s standards for health care quality and safety, MCHC earned the accreditation and the right to display the Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval.

“Achieving accreditation demonstrates that MCHC has voluntarily sought an independent evaluation of its compliance with state-of-the-art performance standards,” says Michael Kulczycki, executive director, Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program for the Joint Commission.

According to MCHC’s chief executive Lin Hunter, “We seek accreditation because it provides a strong structure for ongoing education in clinical excellence. This prestigious award provides critical support to our mission of ensuring quality health services are available for all who lack access to care. To achieve it, our staff works diligently in pursuit of excellence. All of us at MCHC are honored to receive this independent acknowledgement of the time and effort we devote to quality improvement. We are proud that our three centers are among the only 1,200 freestanding ambulatory care organizations nationwide that maintain JCAHO accreditation.”

MCHC is a local, nonprofit healthcare organization governed by people who share the vision that access to quality health services is one of the foundations of healthy communities. The organization operates three community-based Health Centers: Hillside in Ukiah, Lakeside in Lakeport and Little Lake in Willits. To find out more about MCHC, go to their web site at www.mchcinc.com. To obtain information about serving on MCHC’s Board of Directors, contact Kathy MacDougall at (707) 472-4511.

For more information about the Joint Commission, visit their web site at www.jointcommission.org.

###