Riverside given highest award

The state Department of Mental Retardation's Office of Quality Management, Quality Enhancement Division, gave the certificate after a long assessment of Riverside's programs and services, said Char Gentes, Riverside's director of community relations.

"It's a very rare occurrence for an agency to receive this accomplishment three consecutive times, which means that we are doing a really excellent job," Gentes said.

Riverside, located at One Cottage Street, has been providing comprehensive services to people with developmental disabilities for over 30 years, Gentes said.

Gentes said that the evaluation process, undertaken before the certificate can be awarded, took over three weeks to complete, and includes meeting with employees, clients and families affiliated with Riverside to ascertain the quality of service the agency provides.

"There were four to five evaluators who met with everyone involved with us to make sure that the client comes first," she said. "The evaluation is very thorough and showed that we provide very high-quality service."