Oral

In late 2011 the Public Health Accreditation Board will begin to accept applications from state, local, and tribal health agencies for voluntary national accreditation. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials represents state health agencies and provides policy guidelines and technical assistance opportunities that support relevant public health issues, including accreditation. In early 2010 and 2011 ASTHO released a letter of invitation which led to two Accreditation Readiness and Performance Improvement Technical Assistance initiatives which engaged over fifteen state health agencies in targeted technical assistance, with the leadership of subject matter experts, to design individual projects to address; strategic planning, PHAB standards review, self-assessments, and accreditation preparation planning guides. This session will discuss the accreditation preparation projects of three states. Each presentation will focus on each agency’s expectations, process, outcomes, and implementation of their final product. Logic models, strategic plans, timelines, and supporting documentation will also be shared.

Session Objectives: 1) Discuss a range of planning models and preparation processes that a state health agency can implement to prepare staff and leadership for successful application for PHAB voluntary national accreditation. 2) Describe three instances of how the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials provided leadership and subject matter experts to assist three agencies in preparing required documents and strategic plans to use towards organizing their pursuit of PHAB accreditation. 3) Emphasize how proper preparation, understanding of expectations, and leadership buy –in can positively affect the readiness level of an agency seeking PHAB accreditation.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)