Open AccessPublic Health Department Accreditation Implementation: Transforming Public Health Department Performance
Author(s) -
William J. Riley,
Kaye Bender,
Elizabeth Lownik
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2011.300375
Subject(s) - accreditation , public health , health department , club , consistency (knowledge bases) , quality (philosophy) , public relations , medicine , business , medical education , environmental health , political science , nursing , computer science , philosophy , epistemology , artificial intelligence , anatomy
In response to a call for improved quality and consistency in public health departments, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is leading a voluntary public health accreditation initiative in the United States. The public health department accreditation system will implement a comprehensive set of standards that set uniform performance expectations for health departments to provide the services necessary to keep communities healthy. Continuous quality improvement is a major component of PHAB accreditation, demonstrating a commitment to empower and encourage public health departments to continuously improve their performance. The accreditation process was tested in 30 health departments around the country in 2009 and 2010, and was launched on a national level in September 2011 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.