The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #42725

Richard S. Kurz, PhD¹, Judy Alexiou, MPH², and Mahree Fuller Skala, MA². (1) School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, Salus Center, St. Louis, MO 63104, 314-977-8111, kurzrs@slu.edu, (2) Center for Local Public Health Services, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 912 Wildwood, P. O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102

Over the past ten years, the Missouri public health system has faced substantial challenges including changes in the services it provides, reemphasis in its basic responsibilities, and changes in funding streams. To address these challenges, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) has developed several task forces to identify standards and objectives for local agencies, to define core functions and activities, and finally to create an accreditation system for these agencies. The objectives of the accreditation task force were to provide state and local governing entities with a clear definition of the criteria required to be credentialed and to encourage local agencies to remain current regarding public health practice and science. It identified five components of an accreditation model: minimum standards based on key activities (core capacity), minimum competencies for staff, community focus and support, continuous improvement and quality assurance, and appropriate physical facilities and administrative services. Based on this model, criteria and measures were developed for each of three levels of accreditation: primary, advanced, and comprehensive. A pretest of the model was conducted in six counties throughout the State of Missouri with systematic assessment of the success of the implementation. In addition, the MDOH has established an independent agency, the Missouri Institute for Community Health, to conduct accreditation and reaccredidation at the completion of the pre-test. The focus of this presentation will be on the structure and functioning of the development process, its outcomes with regard to criteria and measures, and the results of the pretest.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the model used by the State of Missouri to establish an accreditation process for local health departments
• Identify criteria and measures used for accreditation of local health departments
• Assess the ability of local health departments to implement accreditation

Keywords: Accreditation, Local Public Health Agencies

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.