“Now, more than ever, public health departments are relied upon to respond to public health needs as a result of COVID-19, while at the same time maintaining standard public health services,” said PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (PRWEB) February 18, 2021
The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) today announced the names of sixteen public health departments that have achieved accreditation or reaccreditation status, after completion of a systematic review process against national standards. These health departments have successfully demonstrated a commitment to a focus on quality and performance as they work to improve the health of their communities, especially during COVID-19.
Health departments are key leaders and drivers of health, well-being, and equity in their communities. It is important now, more than ever, to demonstrate accountability and promote continuous performance improvement as we collectively respond to COVID-19 and its impact. Accreditation fosters these qualities and aids in health departments’ response to COVID-19 and beyond.
“Achieving accreditation through PHAB is a great accomplishment,” said Ann Stehn EMPA, PHN, Horizon Public Health Administrator “I am proud of the hard work of our entire department to strengthen our public health practice, both internally and in partnership with our community, to improve health and increase accountability with the services we provide.”
“Reaccreditation reaffirms our commitment to improving the more than two million lives that we serve every day in Cook County,” said Dr. Rachel Rubin and Dr. Kiran Joshi, Co-Leads, Cook County Department of Public Health. "Our passion for our community drives us to ensure continuous improvement of our department and the services that we provide.”
PHAB, the nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that administers the national accrediting program, aims to transform and protect public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure and innovation.
“Now, more than ever, public health departments are relied upon to respond to public health needs as a result of COVID-19, while at the same time maintaining standard public health services,” said PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN. “We are proud of these health departments and the hundreds of others that have made a commitment to quality and performance improvement through our accreditation process during this unprecedented time.”
National initial accreditation was awarded February 12, 2021 to:
- Horizon Public Health, MN
- Macomb County Health Department, MI
- South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, SC
- Gallia County General Health District, OH
- Miami County Public Health, OH
- Marshall County Health Department, KY
- Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Services, MD
- Reno County Health Department, KS
National reaccreditation was awarded February 12, 2021 to:
- Clackamas County Public Health, OR
- Cook County Department of Public Health, IL
- Comanche County Health Department, OK
- Erie County Department of Health, PA
- Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, KY
- Kent County Health Department, MI
- RiverStone Health, MT
- DuPage County Health Department, IL
For more information, contact Janalle Goosby, Communications and Public Affairs Specialist, at jgoosby@phaboard.org. Learn more about PHAB and accreditation at http://www.phaboard.org.
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About the Public Health Accreditation Board
The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) was created to serve as the national public health accrediting body and is funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The development of national public health accreditation has involved, and is supported by, public health leaders and practitioners from the national, state, local, Tribal, and territorial levels.