Thank you for your interest in becoming a certified community provider. According to Alabama law, any community program providing services to people living with developmental disabilities, mental illnesses, and/or substance use disorders, must be certified by the Alabama Department of Mental Health. Certification standards are outlined in the Alabama Administrative Code. ADMH established a certification process to ensure services provided in the community meet those quality and safety standards.
Certification by the ADMH is not a means of obtaining clients for the services your agency is certified to provide, nor is it a means of obtaining funding or payment for the services your program is certified to provide. As you are considering whether you want to become a community provider, you should:
- Go to the Alabama Secretary of State website to review requirements for becoming a business in Alabama.
- Develop community partnerships by reaching out to other community providers and organizations who have an interest in the people who may need the services you plan to provide.
- Establish a business plan to determine how your agency will obtain clients and receive payments for services provided by your agency.
ADMH provides a two-phase orientation process to assist you in understanding the certification application process and to provide you with information you can use to determine whether your program has the current capacity to meet certification standards.
Completion of this orientation does not guarantee that your program will be certified.
Prospective Community Provider – Certification Orientation (Phase 1 – online course)
Phase 1 of the certification orientation is an online course available at: http://admh.academy.reliaslearning.com. This phase of the orientation will help prospective providers understand the certification application process and determine whether they have the capacity to meet certification requirements. The cost for registration to this phase of the orientation is $25. Once you have completed this online course, print the certificate of completion to include with your registration packet for Phase 2. You cannot enroll in the Phase 2 orientation without the certificate of completion from Phase 1.
Prospective Community Provider – Certification Orientation (Phase 2 – live event)
Phase 2 of the certification orientation is a live event conducted twice a year (typically in the spring and fall) in Montgomery, Alabama. This phase of the orientation will provide more detail on the minimum standards and requirements for becoming a certified program and allow you to ask questions about the certification process. The cost for registration to this phase of the orientation is $100. You must submit the Phase 2 Certificate of Completion certificate with your agency’s ADMH certification application when you apply for certification.
