From the Executive Director

MARF has had a busy quarter.  In March, our accreditation body, CARF, visited MARF for three days.  The intention of this visit was to survey the services we provide and our business management practices to ensure MARF meets CARF standards.  During this survey, we were pleased to host John Collins, a CARF surveyor for more than 10 years.  John provided our leadership team with plenty of useful information and feedback during his visit. As a result of the survey, MARF is pleased to have received a 3 year accreditation.  MARF has been working hard to revamp our website.  One of the primary needs in updating the website is to have current pictures.  During the first week in July,we hosted local photographer Taylor Johnson.  Taylor joined the staff and residents at many off our favorite local spots including the Southeastern Sports Medicine swimming pool, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the train tracks below St. Dunstans.  We hope these photographs will enable MARF’s website to have a new look very soon.   

Get Involved

As we begin to look to the future, we are constantly bracing ourselves for change.  Change could mean a different structure for individual program plan meetings, different reimbursement rates, or different rules MARF must comply with in operating its homes. Smoky Mountain Center is MARF’s local management entity (LME) and is responsible for implementing many of the changes that occur in service provision.  As parents, guardians, persons served, and family members we can begin to involve ourselves in these changes by getting involved. In Asheville, there is a Community and Family Advisory Committee (CFAC) which was initiated in July of 2002. CFAC is a self-governed consumer- and family-based committee that partners with Smoky Mountain Center. 

CFAC represents a more focused and structured way for Smoky Mountain to work in "constructive partnership" with consumers and families to infuse their experiences into service delivery models and community collaboration. Key roles of the CFAC include:

  • Establishing a line of communication with administration in order to listen to issues and programs being considered, identify local service needs in the new system, and identify informal resources in communities;
  • Serving as a voice for other individuals and family members who have mental health, developmental disability, and substance abuse
  • needs. CFAC members should talk with other people in their communities about needed services, supports and resources.
  • Participating in advocacy efforts for changes that the State should consider as part of reform.
  • Looking at quality improvement and quality assurance to ensure high quality services in the communities served by Smoky Mountain LME/MCO.

The next CFAC meeting will be held on August 15 at 6pm at 200 Ridgefield Court.  We encourage you to attend!

Amazon Smile

Are you an online shopper? If so, the next time that you shop on Amazon.com, try Amazon Smile instead. It is exactly the same as Amazon.com with all of the same products and convenience, but with Amazon Smile, five percent of your purchase goes to the non-profit organization of your choosing. To designate MARF as your supported organization, go to www.smile.amazon.com and type in “Mountain Area Residential Facilities” when the website prompts you to choose a cause. We also have a button that leads directly to our Amazon Smile page under the “donate” page on our website www.marfinc.org.

Upcoming Birthdays: Stephen Meywes - September 26