Public health accreditation: Lessons learned in a rural small county

This presentation will describe how public health accreditation addresses the Triple Aim by achieving the simultaneous pursuit of: improving the experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing per capita costs of health care. The Director of the Plumas County Public Health Agency will provide the perspective of a rural county health department undergoing accreditation. This LHD has leveraged partnerships with non-profit hospitals, tribal health, an academic institution, and a local non-profit organization to synergize community wide efforts in completing components of accreditation - a Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan. The project model of weaving together local funding, capacity building, and responsibilities can be adapted to serve other rural local health departments. Furthermore, by describing the county-level experience as each of the 12 public health accreditation domains are implemented the presentation will review how these domains are implemented and embedded into the organizational systems and how specific facilitators and barriers to compliance are identified and resolved. In depicting this pursuit, the presentation will elaborate on the roles and responsibilities of each key stakeholder as the LHD works with the community to pursue accreditation and achieve the Triple Aim. Ultimately, this presentation will provide insight on how public health agencies can use accreditation to establish greater organizational legitimacy, strengthen partnerships with the health care system, and improve health outcomes.