Territorial health departments – how well do the phab standards & measures apply?

The Public Health Accreditation Board launched National Public Health Department Accreditation in September 2011. While accreditation is awarded to Tribal, state, local and territorial health departments, no territories have applied for accreditation as of the submission of this abstract (February 6, 2013). One reason is the lack of standards awareness and questions about how the standards would apply to territorial health departments. In late 2012, PHAB began work with the Pacific Islands Health Officers Association (PIHOA) on a PHAB Standards & Measures Review and Public Health Accreditation Readiness Project with the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS). The objectives of the project were to develop an in-depth understanding of the public health essential services and the corresponding domains within the PHAB requirements. Other objectives were to identify gaps in PHAB-required infrastructure and documentation in order to advance the work of Guam DPHSS, and all other U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States, toward public health accreditation. Additional objectives were to review Public Health Accreditation Board Standards and Measures and provide recommendations to the Board regarding the applicability and any needed adjustments of PHAB Standards and Measures for territorial public health. This session will share the findings of this project discussing the gaps found for readiness in the Guam DPHSS and will identify measures that were found to be not applicable, or need modification, for the Pacific US Territories and Freely Associated States.