From theory to practice: Leadership development as a means for accreditation preparedness

As we move toward a national accreditation model for public health, health departments across the country are beginning to embrace efforts to focus on defining, measuring, and assessing their agency capacity and assuring quality public health services are available and accessible. A unique example of this is the steps taken by Lake Cumberland District Health Department in Kentucky to promote organizational accountability and prepare for accreditation through more effective leadership. After examining the theoretical framework of the ten essential public health services and the efforts of different accreditation models to expand on the ten essential services, Lake Cumberland used North Carolina's local health department accreditation model as a way to measure the capacity of its health department to perform prescribed functions and accomplish minimal standards that ensure the protection of the public's health. Leadership development was at the core of Lake Cumberland's efforts. Leadership at the local level is necessary for accreditation success. Using national public health leadership competencies, the Kentucky Public Health Leadership Institute (KPHLI) ran its year-long program for 35 supervisors at Lake Cumberland. Eight accreditation preparedness teams used the theories and skills taught in KPHLI to prepare projects aimed at improving services and performance. Using leadership development as a way to achieve the standards set by the North Carolina model positively impacted the operations of the organization, as well as the morale of the employees. Agency accountability increased as a result of the employees having a stake in the outcomes of the projects. A team from the North Carolina Accreditation Board visited Lake Cumberland in April 2009 to report on their accreditation efforts. The visit helped reinforce the importance of the results achieved at Lake Cumberland District Health Department.