BATAVIA — Clermont County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities has been accredited by the state, one of 45 counties to complete the fairly new accreditation process.

        Clermont MRDD was accredited by the Ohio Department of MRDD, which began accrediting the state's MRDD agencies near the end of 2000, said Lisa Davis, director of community relations for Clermont County MRDD.

        “We're very proud of that, because it shows that in all areas of our program we're meeting all standards set by the state MRDD,” said Wanda Downey, president of the Clermont MRDD board. “That includes health and safety, doing background checks of new employees,” she said.

        Ms. Davis said a team from the state visited Clermont MRDD in August.

        The team looked at processes such as how MRDD conducts background investigations on new employees, that all employees are registered, certified or licensed and that a process is in place to resolve complaints about services and programs.

        “People are getting the services they need to be getting,” said Ms. Davis. “We're doing what we're supposed to be doing.”

        Clermont MRDD serves about 1,300 people, from infants to adults. Many of its programs have grown in the past five years, which is one reason it is seeking to place a five-year, 1.5-mill levy on November's ballot. The county's board of commissioners must first approve placing the levy on the ballot.

        “The accreditation process is designed to help county boards continuously improve the quality of their services,” said Kenneth Ritchey, director of the Ohio Department of MRDD.

        Hamilton, Butler and Warren county boards of MRDD were all accredited last year.

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