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Greetings from PHAB,
All of us here at the Public Health Accreditation Board want to sincerely thank everyone in the public health field who provided assistance to us as we have prepared materials, procedures, policies, fact sheets, and educational messages to get to the point of launching national public health department accreditation. It's finally here! The official accreditation launch event is set for September 14, 2011, at the National Press Club here in Washington, DC. What a commemorative day that will be! Without your help, this day might never have become a reality!
You can read more about the launch event in this e-newsletter. We have an exciting program lined up. We know that many of you would like to join us in person for that day, but schedules and travel budgets won't allow you to do so. We will be taping every moment of it and posting it on our website just as soon as we can so you can join us later!
Please pay special attention to this issue of Word on the Street. We are passing along answers to several new questions that we have received since we posted the Guide to National Public Health Department Accreditation Version 1.0 and the PHAB Standards and Measures Version 1.0.
We are looking forward to receiving the first accreditation applications soon. We are also looking forward to hearing that many more health departments are preparing to submit theirs in months to come. Let us know how you are progressing and how we can help!
Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN
President and CEO
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PHAB Hosts National Public Health Department Accreditation Commemorative Launch Event
The moment you have been waiting for has arrived! PHAB invites you to join us in Washington, DC, for an event commemorating the launch of national public health department accreditation. The goal of this program, initiated with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is to improve and protect the health of every community by advancing the quality and performance of all Tribal, state, local, and territorial public health departments.
WHEN
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
10:00am-12:30pm ET
WHERE
The Ballroom at the National Press Club
529 14th Street NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC 20045
If you plan to attend, please send an RSVP via e-mail to Travis Parker Lee at tlee@phaboard.org.
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Introducing 
As PHAB launches national public health department accreditation, one of the new features that will be available only to applicants and accredited health departments is the online information system, e-PHAB. It is not just a website; e-PHAB is a comprehensive information system designed specifically to support public health department accreditation. PHAB's partner in this effort is Liaison International, a company that specializes in electronic support of accreditation and annual survey management. PHAB's information system will be accessible to health departments to submit their Statement of Intent (SOI), followed by their application, and ultimately their documentation and annual reports. Site visit reports will also be developed and submitted by the site visit teams using this system. The first components of e-PHAB will be explained at the accreditation launch event (with taping of the materials for everyone to see thereafter), and full orientation to its use will be provided as part of the in-person training for Accreditation Coordinators. We think health departments will find it to be user friendly and conducive to efficient transfer of information to and from PHAB during their accreditation process.
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Accreditation is a Popular Topic at the NACCHO Annual Conference
There was standing room only at the accreditation session at the 2011 NACCHO Annual Conference in Hartford, CT. The session, held on July 21, 2011, was an interactive session with speakers Dr. Rex Archer (Kansas City, MO Health Department and member of the PHAB Board of Directors), Toho Soma (City of Portland, ME Health Public Health Division and beta test site), and Dr. Kaye Bender who presented the latest updates to national public health department accreditation since the beta test. The session included discussion on the benefits of accreditation, processes used to identify and select documentation, site visits, and the relationship between accreditation and quality improvement (QI). Participants learned how one local health department used QI techniques to improve upon a priority area identified through the PHAB assessment process to decrease the no-show rate at their HIV clinic.
Travis Parker Lee and Rachel Margolis staffed the PHAB exhibit booth at the conference, where hundreds of local health department staff dropped by with their questions and comments about accreditation. PHAB Board members Carol Moehrle, Dr. Rex Archer, Dr. Hugh Tilson, and Dr. Bud Nicola also talked with potential applicants throughout the course of the conference.
PHAB continues to appreciate the support that NACCHO gives to accreditation!
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PHAB exhibit booth visitors discuss accreditation with Dr. Kaye Bender and Rachel Margolis.
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Look for PHAB's Booth at the Upcoming NALBOH Annual Conference
Accreditation of health departments will be among the hot topics discussed at the upcoming Annual Conference of the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) on September 7-9, 2011, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Dr. Hugh Tilson and Dr. Kaye Bender will present a session entitled "Launching the National Public Health Accreditation Program: Implications for Effective Governance, Strong Leadership, and Engaged Citizens" on Wednesday, September 7, 2011. Rachel Margolis will be staffing the PHAB exhibit booth. For more information on the conference, see NALBOH's website.
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Academia and Practice Linkages in Wisconsin Support Accreditation
Dr. Kaye Bender was pleased to be a part of a unique meeting and conference with public health department accreditation as one of its primary topics. On August 15, 2011, public health practitioners and academicians in Wisconsin held their annual Academic Practice Linkage Dinner, "Collaborating for Healthy Communities". Approximately 70 public health nurses and their academic colleagues spent the evening discussing the role of academic and practicing public health nurses in (1) addressing current issues to promote population health (community health assessment/community health improvement process and plan [CHA/CHIPP] and accreditation), and (2) identifying collaborative strategies to strengthen systems-level approaches and leverage resources of academic and practicing public health nurses. The academic-practice linkages are grounded in a project called the "Linking Education and Practice for Excellence in Public Health Nursing Project" (LEAP Project). The project's purpose is to improve competency of public health nursing practice in a changing public health system by educating public health nurses, student nurses, and nursing faculty to provide population-based, culturally competent public health nursing services. The overarching goal of this project is to contribute to population health improvement and the reduction of health disparities by developing a sufficient, highly skilled, diverse, and visible public health nursing workforce in Wisconsin. It is expected to have a direct impact on nurses in local, state, and tribal public health departments, and on student nurses and faculty in nursing education programs in all areas of Wisconsin. The LEAP Project is led by Dr. Susan Zahner, Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is supported by funds from the HRSA Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions. The academic practice linkages dinner planning committee, comprised of both education and practice representatives, did an outstanding job in planning and implementing the conversation.
The following day, August 16, 2011, over 250 participants from across Wisconsin met with a focus on strengthening the population health service delivery skills of the public health nursing workforce, including preparation for accreditation. PHAB thanks Gretchen Sampson, Health Officer, Polk County Health Department; Lieske Giese, WI Department of Public Health Western Regional Office; Dr. Susan Zahner; and LEAP project staff Maria De Pablo, Pam Guthman, and Tracy Mrochek for including public health accreditation in this important workforce development initiative.
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Dr. Kaye Bender discusses linkages to accreditation with public health nurses in Wisconsin.
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Word on the Street
1. In the Guide to National Public Health Department Accreditation, Version 1.0, PHAB states that PHAB will accept multi-jurisdictional applications, but we didn't see policies or guidance specific to applications of that type. How might the accreditation process, review of the standards/measures, or the fee schedule be different for multi-jurisdictional applications?
PHAB does plan to accept multi-jurisdictional applications for accreditation. In order to ensure consistency and credibility, those applicants will have to meet the same standards and measures in the PHAB Standards and Measures Version 1.0 that all health departments have to meet. PHAB still has some work to do to determine what the review process will look like, what the cost of implementing an adjusted process might be (which will inform fee adjustments), and other implications for the review. PHAB plans to complete that work before the end of the calendar year. So, health departments considering submitting a multi-jurisdictional application this fall should continue their work together. We will provide additional information as soon as it is available.
2. We are excited about the launch event on September 14, 2011. When can our health department actually submit our Statement of Intent (SOI)?
The online SOI form will become available to health departments right after the launch event. PHAB will announce that date shortly.
In the meantime, PHAB encourages health departments to carefully read through the Guide to National Public Health Department Accreditation Version 1.0 to understand the PHAB accreditation process. A health department can also gear up for the launch of accreditation by reviewing the PHAB Standards and Measures Version 1.0. After reading the Guide you will see that health departments will have to complete the online orientation first, before completing the SOI. The online orientation will be available this fall as well. PHAB has developed the material and is in the process of taping it now. It will be available through our website right after the launch event.
3. When will our health department be assigned a PHAB Accreditation Specialist?
Health departments will complete the online orientation, submit an online SOI, and complete a formal application before having a specific Accreditation Specialist assigned. Even though during the SOI and application process health departments won't have a specific contact, there will be online mechanisms to ask questions for any issues that arise. If needed, a PHAB staff will also be available by phone.
4. Tell us one more time why PHAB has to charge accreditation fees?
PHAB has always planned to charge some accreditation fees as a measure to begin sustainability of PHAB over time. We won't always be funded by grants. We have attempted to establish the most reasonable fee structure that we can and still meet that goal. While we understand that many health departments are hurting financially right now, we didn't have an option to launch the program without fees attached. However, our current funders have worked with us to allow us to pass along only those costs associated with the training and review components of the accreditation process. The fees do not include total support for PHAB as an organization. We encourage health departments to continue to work with their funders (community, state, local, and federal) to plan for their fees in their budgets and to take advantage of the various payment options that PHAB has to offer. Feel free to contact Mark Paepcke, Chief Administrative Officer at PHAB, at mpaepcke@phaboard.org to discuss any questions you have about the fee payment options.
5. Why does PHAB provide the Guide to Public Health Department Accreditation Version 1.0 and the PHAB Standards and Measures Version 1.0 only in Portable Document Format (PDF)? We want to amend the document to meet our specific needs.
These documents form the basis for implementing national public health department accreditation, as administered by PHAB, and therefore are official documents in their entirety. They have been carefully developed so that each segment of information included in these documents relates to every other segment. The standards and measures "hang together" in their context, for example. For those reasons, PHAB does not encourage separating the information out. Looking at elements of these documents out of context might have unintended negative consequences for the health department later on.
6. Who at PHAB should we contact for specific questions and technical assistance?
You may contact: Mark Paepcke, Chief Administrative Officer, to talk about fees and contractual information. He may be reached at mpaepcke@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 104. Robin Wilcox, Chief Program Officer, to talk about interpretation and meaning of the PHAB Standards and Measures as well as the accreditation process. She may be reached at rwilcox@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 106. Rachel Margolis, Accreditation Specialist, to talk about the accreditation process for health departments. She may be reached at rmargolis@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 108. David Stone, Accreditation Education Specialist, to talk about PHAB's education services, including orientations and trainings. He may be reached at dstone@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 105. Travis Parker Lee, Program Specialist, to talk about meetings, events, and requests for speakers. He may be reached at tlee@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549 ext. 102. Kaye Bender, President/CEO, to talk about accreditation related strategies, partnerships, long-range planning at PHAB, PHAB Board of Directors, committees, and think tanks. She may be reached at kbender@phaboard.org or 703-778-4549, ext. 103. If you have a suggestion for future segments of Word on the Street, please send them to Travis Parker Lee, PHAB Program Specialist, at tlee@phaboard.org. |
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