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Preparing For
National
Voluntary Public
Health Accreditation
National
Voluntary Public Health Accreditation is being developed and implemented
by the
Public Health Accreditation Board
(PHAB), a non-profit
organization that was created specifically for this purpose. The Florida Department of
Health (DOH) is actively preparing for accreditation
at both the state and local levels. The Office of Performance
Improvement (HPI) is facilitating the department's preparation through collaboration, coordination, and technical
support.
Accreditation is a system of common
standards used to measure performance. It is based on standards that
health departments can put into practice to ensure they are providing
the best services possible to keep their communities safe and healthy.
Accreditation will drive public health departments to continuously
improve their services and performance.
The accreditation
standards serve as the framework for an objective
evaluation process, and are based on the
10 Essential Public Health Services.
Beta Test (October 2009 - December 2010)
DOH,
led by the Office of Performance Improvement (HPI), and the Miami-Dade County
Health Department, are
participating in the accreditation
beta test
(pilot) to test every aspect of the public health accreditation program and
provide detailed feedback to PHAB. The beta test includes a
self-assessment, site visit from PHAB, and final feedback report. PHAB will
utilize the beta test evaluation results to improve the accreditation
process. This process will be launched nationally in 2011.
Getting Started
To start down the road of preparing for
accreditation, county health departments (CHDs) and central office
programs should first become familiar with the accreditation process and
standards. A good place to start is with the following documents:
You might also consider
your CHD's degree of readiness for accreditation by reviewing
and completing the following:
Accreditation Collaborative
HPI is sharing information and providing
resources and technical assistance related to accreditation through a
department-wide Accreditation Collaborative. This collaborative is
composed of CHD and central office staff who are interested in learning
more about accreditation and/or who are actively preparing for
accreditation.
Interested in learning
more about accreditation? To receive monthly email updates on the
accreditation beta test, as well as information about resources and
training related to accreditation and quality improvement, contact the Office of Performance
Improvement. (An e-mail link is located at the bottom of this page.)
Is your CHD ready
for accreditation? Collaborative members
may choose to work through the steps of the beta test
and develop strategies for achieving accreditation for their CHD. For these members,
the Office of Performance Improvement will be facilitating a series of
conference calls and/or webex events to guide local health departments
through the process, and provide resources and technical assistance. If
you would like to actively work through the beta test and receive
support, contact the Office of Performance Improvement. (An e-mail link
is located at the bottom of this page.)
Visit our
National Voluntary Public Health Accreditation Resources page
for more information and related links.
Have a question? Need help getting started?
Legal notice: Under Florida law, e-mail
addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail
address released in response to a public records request, do not
send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office
by phone or in writing.
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