CARF International has announced that Pinetree Community Services has been accredited for a three-year period for its community and employment services programs.

This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization's substantial conformance to the CARF standards, a news release said. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable and accountable, the release said.

Pinetree Community Services is a nonprofit organization with offices in Southern Pines and Aberdeen, and has been providing services to the region for more than 30 years.

CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accredita-tion of Rehabilitation Facilities and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.

Anyone needing more information on Pinetree Community Services can contact Executive Director Ron Hodiak at 692-6008.