What is public health accreditation?
Public health accreditation is a process undertaken by health departments to measure their performance against a set of nationally recognized standards. The national accreditation program is administered by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and is jointly supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The goal of public health accreditation is to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing the quality and performance of the nation’s state, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments.
The Williams County Health Department achieved accreditation through PHAB in 2018. The Williams County Health Department will reapply for reaccreditation every five years.
What does accreditation mean for Williams County?
According to PHAB, the accreditation process is designed to encourage and stimulate quality and performance improvement in the health department, as well as foster greater accountability and transparency. The accreditation standards serve as the framework for an objective evaluation process, and are based on the 10 Essential Public Health Services.
The seal of public health accreditation informs the community that WCHD performs at a high level and is able to effectively meet the public health needs of those served. This demonstrates our increased accountability and credibility to everyone — the public, funders, elected officials, and partner organizations.