From left, BCH’s Bond Kiser, Regina Keener, Nancy McNeill, and Linda Morgan stand by a mountain of boxes containing COA administration and facility on-site documentation for all of BCH’s locations. COA representatives conducted a reaccreditation review February 22-25.
Baptist Children’s Homes (BCH) recently completed its seventh Council on Accreditation (COA) review. Reaccreditation occurs every four years. The three visiting COA representatives concluded the four-day reaccreditation peer review with a final exit meeting with key BCH staff members.
“Your mission is clear,” the COA Peer Review team leader told the group. “It’s evident that this agency lives and breathes its mission every day.”
The meeting culminated an on-site review held February 22-25. Nearly 500 self-study documents and as many on-site documents were prepared prior to the COA visit. BCH began in 2013 assembling the documents. The COA representatives cited BCH’s staff training saying it was “incredible.” They agreed the agency was “exemplary.”
“You display a culture of excellence,” the COA team leader said. “You expect it. You display it in everything you do. You prove that it is possible.”
It was noted that BCH president/CEO Michael C. Blackwell was key to the agency’s overall expectation of excellence – “Only leadership can bring that forward in their staff.”
“The people sitting around this table represent the true champions,” Blackwell said. “They are my priority. Keeping them the priority helps them keep their focus on our children and clients.”
COA is an international, independent, nonprofit, human service accrediting organization. Final notice of reaccreditation is expected within 30 days of the review.