Public Health Accreditation

Voluntary national accreditation for public health departments is available through the national Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).  Accreditation documents the capacity of the public health department to deliver the three core functions of public health of assessment, policy development, and assurance and the Ten Essential Public Health Services http://www.cdc.gov/nphpsp/essentialServices.html - the range of public health services a department should provide.

The state health department, as well as local health departments, are preparing for accreditation and is currently planning and implementing activities to demonstrate it will continue to accomplish its mission and purpose. For a comprehensive explanation of the accreditation process the department is undertaking, go to http://www.phaboard.org/.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Professionals: National Voluntary Accreditation for Public Health Departments
  http://www.cdc.gov/stltpublichealth/accreditation/preparing.html
  Public health department accreditation tools and resources from the CDC and national partners (the American Public Health Association, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Association of Local Boards of Health, National Indian Health Board, Public Health Foundation, and National Network of Public Health Institutes) are available to assist in learning more about and being to prepare for accreditation.
   
• National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO)
  http://www.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/CHAIP/
  A variety of tools, and resources for public health professionals and other external stakeholders are available to inform and improve work in the promotion and advancement of public health objectives. Resources for conducting Community Health Assessment (CHA), Community Health Improvement Planning (CHIP), and accreditation readiness activities are found through this link. There are additional content that includes: Accreditation Preparation and Quality Improvement; CHA/CHIP for Accreditation Preparation Project; CHA/CHIP Resource Center, and; Performance Improvement.