Public Health Department Accreditation : Implications for Public Health Administrators

For the past five years, serious deliberate work has occurred at the national level to establish a national voluntary public health accreditation program. The purpose of the program is to promote a quality improvement culture within governmental public health agencies, with a long-term goal of improving the health outcomes of the population the health departments serve. The underlying premise is that, no matter where an individual lives, they should be able to expect the same quality of services from their health departments. After three concentrated years of development, the accreditation program will be ready to launch in 2011. The accreditation process, standards, measures, documentation requirements, and site visits are being tested in 30 health department sites throughout the country. Final changes in the program will occur as a result of the evaluation of the beta test so that a strong national program will be available for health departments when it launches. Public health administrators are in key positions to lead their agencies through the accreditation readiness process. This session will provide the latest update in the process, focusing on tools that administrators can use to prepare for accreditation.