Roy Maas Youth Alternatives (RMYA) Achieves National COA Accreditation

SAN ANTONIO, June 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Roy Maas Youth Alternatives (RMYA) has achieved national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA). Since 1976, the San Antonio, TX based RMYA programs have served over 83,000 abused, neglected, and high-risk youth and families through residential and counseling services. Youth in RMYA programs receive expert therapeutic intervention and specialized educational instruction through a continuum of care from birth to age 24. RMYA programs include two specialized emergency shelters, a long-term residential campus, a transitional living program for youth who have aged out of foster care and homeless youth, a family counseling and resource center and RMYA Centro Seguro Drop-In Center for Sex Trafficked Youth, the first 24/7 specialized center in the nation to achieve national accreditation from COA. Centro Seguro was created in 2017 and established initially as a joint project of RMYA, Bexar County Juvenile Probation, the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation and the Texas Office of the Governor.

RMYA achieved accreditation following eighteen months of rigorous self-examination and documentation of its agency-wide processes. Organizations pursue accreditation to demonstrate the implementation of best practice standards in the field of human services. COA evaluated all aspects of RMYA's programs, services, management, and administration. In all, 899 individual standards were examined during the process. Based on their findings, COA's Accreditation Commission voted that Roy Maas Youth Alternatives had successfully met the criteria for accreditation.

"The COA accreditation process provides a unique view of RMYA as seen through the eyes of highly experienced professionals," said Jody Levison-Johnson, President and CEO of COA. "This achievement represents the fulfillment of countless hours of hard work and the dedication of many people–most notably RMYA staff and the members of its board and executive leadership team.

RMYA CEO Bill Wilkinson remarked, "COA accreditation validates who we are and what we value as an organization serving children and youth in crisis. We are proud to be counted among the fewer than 25% of child-serving residential providers in Texas that have received accreditation, which is a critical component of RMYA's path to being certified as a Qualified Residential Treatment Provider under the federal Family First Prevention Services Act."

COA accreditation is an objective, independent, and reliable validation of an agency's performance. COA accreditation demonstrates accountability in the management of resources, sets standardized best practice thresholds for service and administration, and increases organizational capacity and accountability by creating a framework for ongoing quality improvement. An endorsement of COA and the value of its accreditation process is reflected in it being the only national accreditor designated by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop accreditation standards and processes for human service programs provided to military personnel and their families.

About Council on Accreditation

Founded in 1977, COA is an independent, not-for-profit accreditor of the full continuum of community-based behavioral health care and social service organizations in the United States and Canada. Over 2,000 organizations — voluntary, public, and proprietary; local and statewide; large and small — have either successfully achieved COA accreditation or are currently engaged in the process. Presently, COA has 47 service standards that are applicable to over 125 different types of programs. To learn more about COA, please visit www.coanet.org.

About Roy Maas Youth Alternatives (RMYA)

Roy Maas Youth Alternatives helps children and families in crisis become healthy, happy, productive members of our community and works to end the cycle of trauma and abuse. The programs are designed to help children navigate through the trauma of physical and sexual abuse, abandonment, violence and neglect they have experienced. RMYA provides a safe, supervised setting, on-campus accredited schools, medical care, cultural and recreational enrichment programs, individual, family and group counseling services, life skills, and parenting classes. Since 1976, RMYA programs have served over 83,000 abused, neglected, and high-risk youth through a nutritious diet, residential and counseling services. RMYA COA-accredited programs include The RMYA Bridge and La Puerta Emergency Shelters, RMYA Meadowland long-term residential campus, RMYA TurningPoint Transitional Living Program, RMYA Centro Seguro Drop-In Center, the RMYA Meadowland Charter District and the RMYA Family Counseling and Resource Center. www.rmya.org 

Contacts:



Gail Ribalta

210-340-8077



Gina Eisenberg

210-254-5661



Roy Maas Youth Alternatives (RMYA)

3103 West Avenue

San Antonio, TX 78213

gribalta@rmya.org

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SOURCE Roy Maas Youth Alternatives (RMYA)