A local drug treatment provider, FOCUS, recently received the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an alcohol and drug treatment provider.

FOCUS, which means "Family, Opportunity, Community, Unity, Strength," has an office in Sallisaw that provides alcohol and drug treatment services for clients in Sequoyah County's Drug Court program. The drug court program is a way for non-violent drug offenders in the county to be rehabilitated instead of incarcerated, and those in the program receive counseling and treatment through FOCUS.

Alex Borowski, FOCUS executive director, said FOCUS was accredited in three areas, including drug court alcohol and drug treatment, out-patient drug and alcohol treatment services, and criminal justice programs.

FOCUS received the accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Borowski said this is the first accreditation that the international accrediting commission has awarded to FOCUS.

"This ensures our programs meet the highest quality of service to clients," he said.

According to CARF's Web site, a service provider asks for CARF accreditation, which is a sign that an organization cares about delivering quality services to its customers.

Borowski said CARF came out to FOCUS and spent three days on site, evaluating every aspect of the programs and services. A program receiving a three-year accreditation must put itself through a peer review process, and the program services must be measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality.

CARF was founded in 1966 and is an independent, non-profit accrediting agency that establishes standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.