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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Kaye Bender, RN, PhD, FAAN, School of Nursing, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, 601-984-6220, kbender@son.umsmed.edu

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) supported the Steering Committee of the Exploring Accreditation project in a 14-month public process to develop recommendations for a voluntary national accreditation system for local and state health departments. Begun in August 2005, the Exploring Accreditation project examined how such a system could be structured and whether it would feasible to implement.

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Exploring Accreditation project responded to the 2002 Institute of Medicine report that called on the public health community to consider how accreditation could improve the nation's health.

This collaborative process was led by the executive directors from APHA, ASTHO, NACCHO, and the National Association of Local Boards of Health, conducted by a 25-member Steering Committee, and four workgroups. In addition to designing a model system, the project compiled a bibliography on accreditation; produced issue papers on governance, standards development, and financing; and developed a research agenda on the impact of accreditation on the public's health.

Learning Objectives:

• Through a town hall format moderated by the Chair of the Steering Committee, participants can contribute to the potential of implementing the proposed system. Participants will learn about the proposed model and recommendations made by members of the Exploring Accreditation project, develop an understanding of the alternatives considered, and explore the implications of the model for performance and quality improvement in public health service delivery.

Keywords: Accreditation, Public Health Infrastructure

Related Web page: www.exploringaccreditation.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation