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1600 Duke Street
Suite 440
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.778.4549
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The month of February brought some of us record breaking amounts of snow and many travel challenges. Still, it was a month of progress and newsworthy activities in public health accreditation.
From an article in American Medical News to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's unveiling of the nationwide county health rankings, the spotlight was on accreditation and public health. We met with our partners and colleagues at a Multistate Learning Collaborative (MLC) meeting in Kansas City, MO, and the Governance Think Tank in Fort Lauderdale, FL. At the MLC meeting, we received a letter from Keith Reed of the Comanche County Health Department in Oklahoma, one of our Beta Test sites. I've included it in this newsletter because it very eloquently speaks to the challenges, triumphs, and value of accreditation.
We appreciate the response to our call for Beta Test site visitors. The training is scheduled for March and April and we have included the details in this newsletter. We also appreciate your feedback on the first three Beta Test documents posted on our website, but we need more. Please ask your colleagues to take a look and give us their feedback too. Input at this stage of public health accreditation is crucial for a successful launch in 2011.
We look forward to hearing from you and we thank you for being such great partners.
Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN
PHAB President & CEO |
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News Article of Accreditation |
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On February 16th, American Medical News, a publication of the American Medical Association, published an article on public health accreditation. The article featured quotes from Kaye Bender and Bobby Pestronk, Executive Director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). Read the article online. |
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County Health Rankings |
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The University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the first set of reports to rank the overall health of every county in all 50 states. The 50 state reports help public health and community leaders, policy-makers, consumers, and others to see how healthy their county is, compare it with others within their state, and find ways to improve the health of their community. Each county is ranked within the state on how healthy people are and how long they live. They also are ranked on key factors that affect health, such as smoking, obesity, binge drinking, access to primary care providers, rates of high school graduation, rates of violent crime, air pollution levels, liquor store density, unemployment rates, and the number of children living in poverty. Find your county's ranking online at www.countyhealthrankings.org. |
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MLC Grantee Meeting (February 3-5, 2010, Kansas City, MO) |
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As part of the national accreditation discussion at the recent MLC meeting, Kaye Bender provided an overall PHAB update, and three of our Beta Test partners presented their impressions of being a Beta Test site and of working together on their self-assessments. Joyce Marshall, representing the Oklahoma Department of Health (state Beta Test site), Lisa Pivec, representing the Cherokee Nation (tribal Beta Test site), and Neil Hann, representing the Comanche County Health Department (local Beta Test site) did an outstanding job in depicting their Beta Test experiences to date. Keith Reed, Administrative Director for Comanche County, was supposed to attend, but an ice storm and related public health emergencies prevented him from being there in person. However, his letter to the audience said it all! Click here to read Keith's letter.
(FROM LEFT) Joyce Marshall, Kaye Bender, Lisa Pivec, and Neil Hann |
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Governance Think Tank Update |
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In partnership with the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH), PHAB held a Governance Think Tank on February 23, 2010. The purpose of the Think Tank was to clarify and strengthen the accreditation process with respect to the role of governing entities. 25 experts in this area gathered to assist PHAB in developing recommendations for improving the accreditation program related to governance. An interim report will be available soon, but the essence of the discussions focused on the important relationship between high performing public health departments and its approach to governance. PHAB appreciates the time that these individuals spent in assisting us in better understanding the topic! Dr. Hugh Tilson, member of the PHAB Board of Directors, facilitated the Think Tank. |
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Beta Test Site Visitors |
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Approximately 300 applications for Beta Test site visitors were received! Reviews of all applications are being completed, and those selected will be notified in the next week. Qualified applicants who are not selected will be offered the opportunity to be placed in a PHAB Site Visitor Data Bank for future consideration as the program launches. Mandatory training for site visitors will be held March 30-31, 2010, and April 6-7, 2010, in the Washington DC area. PHAB continues to appreciate the interest that the public health community has shown for the accreditation program. Thank you to everyone who sent in their application! |
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We Need Your Feedback! |
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PHAB has developed documents and tools to guide public health agencies through the accreditation application process. With your feedback, we can make these documents even more user-friendly. If you have an interest in advancing public health performance for local, state, territorial, and tribal health departments, please spend some time looking over these documents and then let us know what you think. We've made it easy! Go to www.phaboard.org to review the documents and click on the feedback link to share your thoughts and suggestions. Contact Robin Wilcox, PHAB's Chief Program Officer, at rwilcox@phaboard.org if you have any questions. | |
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