“As we continue to face the uncertainties of the pandemic, it is important, now more than ever, to continue to advance public health practice through accreditation and continuous quality and performance improvement,” said PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (PRWEB) November 16, 2021
The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) today announced the names of thirteen public health departments and one vital records unit that have achieved accreditation or reaccreditation status, after completion of a systematic review process against national standards. These health departments demonstrated their commitment to accountability and performance improvement.
Health departments provide essential services to their communities and are key drivers of health. Nationally accredited health departments demonstrate a consistent and continued commitment to strengthening their community partnerships, which enables them to better serve their communities.
“Achieving national public health accreditation through PHAB, especially during this time, shows our commitment to the communities we serve every day,” said Letitia Dzirasa, MD, commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. “Accreditation not only makes us better prepared to respond to emerging public health needs, but it also gets us closer to achieving our vision of an equitable, just, and well Baltimore.”
"We are excited to have earned recognition as a fully accredited health department,” said Monica Hendrickson, public health administrator of the Peoria City/County Health Department. “Accreditation reflects our commitment to being a high performing agency providing evidence-based programing, as well as finding new ways to improve the health and well-being of people in Peoria County. We hope our community sees this as further dedication to be a trusted leader."
“Being just the third vital records unit to receive this prestigious national accreditation is a reflection of the dedication of the people in our Bureau of Vital Records," said Tom Salow, deputy assistant director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. "We have been maintaining these vital records since 1909, before Arizona was a state, and we will continue to provide this essential service with the professionalism that warranted our accreditation."
PHAB, the non-governmental, non-profit organization that administers the national accrediting program, works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing and transforming the quality and performance of governmental public health departments in the United States and abroad.
“Public health departments and their program units like Vital Records and Health Statistics are essential to the health of their communities,” said PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN. “As we continue to face the uncertainties of the pandemic, it is important, now more than ever, to continue to advance public health practice through accreditation and continuous quality and performance improvement.”
National initial accreditation was awarded November 9, 2021 to:
- Baltimore City Health Department – Baltimore, MD
- Cortland County Health Department – Cortland, NY
- El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health – Placerville, CA
- Kenton-Hardin Health Department – Kenton, OH
- Metro Public Health Department – Nashville, TN
- Pickaway County Public Health – Circleville, OH
National reaccreditation was awarded November 9, 2021 to:
- District of Columbia Department of Health – Washington, DC
- Frederick County Health Department – Frederick, MD
- Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health – Lawrence, KS
- Linn County Public Health – Cedar Rapids, IA
- Mahoning County Public Health – Youngstown, OH
- Peoria City/County Health Department – Peoria, IL
- Pierce County Public Health Department – Ellsworth, WI
National vital records and health statistics accreditation was awarded November 9, 2021 to:
- Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Vital Records – Phoenix, AZ
For more information, contact Janalle Goosby, Communications and Public Affairs at jgoosby@phaboard.org. Learn more about PHAB and accreditation at http://www.phaboard.org. Be in the know: subscribe to PHAB's e-newsletter.
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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.