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Greetings from PHAB,

 

The national public health department accreditation organization, PHAB, is officially open for business. We had a wonderful, successful launch event on September 14, 2011, and some outstanding days following that. Statements of Intent and Applications are coming in almost every day! We are off to a great start in supporting improvement in the performance and quality of health departments in this country!

 

This issue of our e-newsletter will include some photos from the launch event, as well as a link to the entire program video clip if you want to experience it wherever you are. It was truly a commemorative day. The speeches by Dr. Jim Marks from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Dr. Judy Monroe from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were both inspiring and thought-provoking. The panel representing potential applicants gave us all some insight into what various types of health departments see as the value of accreditation. And, a walk down memory lane by the members of PHAB's Board of Incorporators helped us to appreciate how far we have come collectively.

 

This issue also has some tips about submitting your Statement of Intent and Application, as well as preparation pointers. These are all things PHAB continues to learn as we receive "real" documents from the field. And, finally, we have included some support information for you to consider as you think about accreditation and quality improvement in your health department setting.

 

Remember, accreditation of your health department is about you and the citizens that you serve. It's about offering them the highest quality of services that you can offer, and it's about being able to demonstrate that quality. So, consider applying for accreditation when your health department is ready! It's the journey that makes the difference.

Issue #35

September 2011

In This Issue
National Public Health Department Accreditation Launches
PHAB Website Updates
National Partner Updates
State and Local Health Departments Work Toward Accreditation
PHAB Staff Corner
Word on the Street

Kaye Bender (April 2011)

 Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN

President and CEO

PHAB Launches National Public Health Department Accreditation

PHAB launched the national accreditation program for all public health departments on September 11, 2011, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The goal of PHAB's accreditation program, initiated and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is to protect and improve Americans' health by advancing the quality and performance of all of the nation's public health departments-Tribal, state, local, and territorial. Over 150 people attended the event, which was videotaped for those who were not able to attend. The press release about the event and the video of the program can be viewed on the PHAB website.

 

PHAB Launch Event
Bill Riley, Chair of the PHAB Board of Directors, welcomes attendees to the national public health department accreditation launch event.

 

PHAB Launch Event
Paul Halverson, PHAB Board member, introduces Jim Marks from RWJF and Judy Monroe from CDC, who provided inspiring and thought-provoking remarks about this historic day.

 

PHAB Launch Event
Joe Finkbonner, PHAB Board member (center), introduces Torney Smith, JT Petherick, and Ron Chapman (from left to right), who provided insights on the value of accreditation in their health departments.

 

PHAB Launch Event
Carol Moehrle, Vice Chair of the PHAB Board of Directors (center), introduces the PHAB Board of Incorporators: Paul Jarris, Executive Director of ASTHO; Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of APHA; Marie Fallon, Executive Director of NALBOH; and Bobby Pestronk, Executive Director of NACCHO (from left to right).

 

PHAB Launch Event
Kaye Bender, PHAB President/CEO, closes the launch event by announcing the date PHAB officially opens for business.

 

PHAB Website Updates

 

Accessing e-PHAB

PHAB began receiving Statements of Intent and Applications on Monday, September 19, 2011. Interested applicants can access these documents through e-PHAB by clicking the e-PHAB logo on the top of the homepage of the PHAB website.

 

e-PHAB Website Location 

 

Accreditation Materials Now Available 

PHAB offers an array of materials that supplement the Guide to National Public Health Department Accreditation Version 1.0 and the Standards and Measures Version 1.0 that assist health departments throughout the accreditation process. The following are now available on the PHAB website: 

  • PHAB Generic Presentation for Health Departments (PPT)
  • PHAB Acronyms and Glossary of Terms Version 1.0 (PDF)
  • e-PHAB Statement of Intent Information 2011-2012 (PDF)
  • e-PHAB Application Information 2011-2012 (PDF)
  • National Public Health Department Accreditation Documentation Guidance Version 1.0 (PDF)
  • PHAB Standards and Measures Documentation Selection Spreadsheet Version 1.0 (Excel)


Visit PHAB's Accreditation Materials webpage to access the documents, and stay tuned for announcements on future releases!

National Partners Offer Information to Support Accreditation and Quality Improvement

  

NACCHO Releases 2010 National Profile of Local Health Departments Report

Did you know 50% of local health departments (LHDs) have expressed an interest in seeking national accreditation? The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is pleased to announce the availability of the 2010 National Profile of Local Health Departments. With a response rate of 82%, the 2010 Profile is the most up-to-date source of information about LHDs in the United States and will be useful to a broad audience including practitioners and policymakers at the local, state, and federal level; researchers; the media; and the public. The 2010 Profile provides a comprehensive picture of LHD governance, finance, workforce, and activities and services, including those related to accreditation, quality improvement (QI), emergency preparedness, access to health care services, advocacy, and information technology. For more information on QI, accreditation, and other public health infrastructure issues covered by the Profile, visit NACCHO's profile webpage to view the report or order a printed copy. The 2010 Profile was made possible through the support of RWJF and CDC.   

NNPHI Meeting Announcement and Resources

The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) announces their sponsorship of national accreditation applicants to attend the Strengthening the Community of Practice for Public Health Improvement (COPPHI) Open Forum on December 12-13, 2011, in Alexandria, VA.  The 1.5 day, accreditation- and QI-focused Open Forum will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, and participants will have the opportunity to connect with leaders and practitioners representing key organizations and investments shaping quality in public health. NNPHI is interested in hearing about your accreditation journey, and will reimburse the cost of travel, hotel stay, and provide a per diem for you to participate in this Open Forum. Key organizations include PHAB; the CDC's National Public Health Improvement Initiative; the RWJF-funded initiatives Building the Evidence Base in Quality Improvement, Practice Based Research Networks, Public Health Systems and Services Research, and Community Health Assessment and Improvement Planning in Public Health; NACCHO; ASTHO; NALBOH; the Public Health Foundation; and others leading QI efforts. To learn more about this opportunity or express interest, please contact Jennifer McKeever at [email protected]

  

The Multi-State Learning Collaborative: Lead States in Public Health Quality Improvement (MLC) convened state and local health departments in 16 states to use QI practices as a means to improve services and the health of communities, and to prepare for accreditation. The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) is synthesizing resources that articulate key lessons on emergent topics and provide guidance to practitioners. These include:

  • Public Health Performance Improvement (PHPI) Toolkit: Online collection of tools, including archived trainings, sample QI products, templates, and related resources for public health practitioners interested in implementing QI and preparing for accreditation. What makes the PHPI toolkit unique is that all of the products have been developed by public health practitioners through their own efforts to implement performance improvement activities and prepare for national public health department accreditation.  
  • Stories and Topical Briefs from the Accreditation and QI Field: Summarizes key lessons learned by health departments engaged in quality improvement (QI) and accreditation preparation efforts and provides recommendations for practitioners.
  • Project Storyboards: Features all of the storyboards that have been submitted by the MLC projects, as well as resources on how to develop your own storyboards.
  • Meeting and Webinar Materials:  Archives materials from previous in-person conferences-where innovative practices in performance improvement and accreditation were shared-and recordings and notes from webinars covering a plethora of performance improvement topics.

RWJF Request for Proposals: Quality Improvement in Public Health Practice Exchange

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is seeking a dynamic organization to build and operate a robust, searchable online database that will organize information from the rapidly growing number of public health QI projects, and make the experiences and results easily available to practitioners and other stakeholders. The Practice Exchange will provide a forum for sharing, learning, and online interactions that will help spread and amplify the application of QI in public health across the country. Up to $2 million is available for a two year contract. Visit the RWJF website to view the RFP, register for an applicant webinar, and access the online application. The deadline for applications is November 9th, 2011.

 

 

NIHB Annual Consumer Conference

PHAB was pleased to exhibit at the recent National Indian Health Board (NIHB) Annual Consumer Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. The conference provided a valuable opportunity to share the work of PHAB with many tribal health representatives. The PHAB booth was well received with many conference attendees; some who asked questions to learn more about PHAB and others who indicated their support of national public health department accreditation. During the conference, there was a session by the one of the tribal health departments as they prepare for national accreditation and using the standards as a part of their own performance improvement and development. NIHB is one of PHAB's national partners who will provide assistance to tribal health departments going through the accreditation process. Visit the NIHB website for more information and resources.

State and Local Health Departments Work Toward National Accreditation

PHAB has been pleased to be part of several state/local public health conferences this past month, where accreditation was a primary focus. PHAB is very pleased to see Tribal, state, and local public health departments working together to support each other as they prepare for accreditation. The events in which PHAB participated included: 

  • The 68th Annual Kansas Public Health Association Fall Conference, September 22-22, 2011, Wichita, KS
  • Moving Public Health Practice to the Next Level in Challenging Times, MO Public Health Association, MO Association of Local Public Health Agencies, Missouri Association of Local Boards of Health, Missouri Institute for Community Health, and the Council for Public Health Nursing, September 29-30, 2011, Columbia, MO

If your organization would like to have a PHAB staff or Board member speak at an upcoming event, please contact us via the PHAB website.

PHAB Staff Corner


PHAB Welcomes New Staff MemberMarita Chilton

Marita Chilton joined the PHAB team as an Accreditation Specialist on September 12, 2011. She will work with Accreditation Coordinators of Tribal, local, state, and territorial public health departments through the entire accreditation process. Prior to joining the PHAB team, she was employed by the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) as a Project Coordinator in the Washington, DC office, focusing on quality and performance improvement initiatives, including public health accreditation, the National Public Health Performance Standards Program, and the Community Guide. Marita realized the security a strong public health system can bring to a country and to a community while employed at the Center for International Trade and Security. She received a Master's in Public Health from American Public University.

 

PHAB Staff Engage in Professional Development and Volunteer Activities

Travis Parker LeeAs a learning organization, PHAB strives to support its staff in various professional development and volunteer activities that relate directly to staff job functions. Travis Parker Lee, Program Specialist, has joined more than 20 other public health professionals from across the country as part of the inaugural class for the Certificate in Public Health Performance Improvement program at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Travis will learn quality improvement concepts and techniques, and will use his education to lead an improvement project within PHAB. Travis looks forward to completing the program in 2013 and gaining valuable skills to effectively link accreditation with quality improvement.

 

Travis was also recently appointed to the City of Alexandria's Public Health Advisory Commission, where he will assist in the city's evaluation and investigation of specific public health problems and health-related matters. Travis is excited to join this advisory body to enhance his public health knowledge and perspective, and PHAB looks forward to hearing about his experiences as it relates to public health governance.

Word on the Street

 

1. Our health department would like to submit a Statement of Intent (SOI) to PHAB. Do both the health department director and the health department's Accreditation Coordinator have to register with PHAB?

 

Only one person in each health department should register with e-PHAB. The person that registers may either be the health department director or the Accreditation Coordinator. Registering with e-PHAB involves selecting one of two roles (the health department's Accreditation Coordinator or the health department director); entering your name, job title, and e-mail; and creating a password. Once an e-PHAB account is created, the registrant may complete the SOI on the next screen.

 

The SOI will ask for detailed contact information for the health department director and the Accreditation Coordinator. When the SOI is complete, e-PHAB will e-mail the other person and provide an automatically generated password and username (the username will be the e-mail provided in the contact information field of the SOI). In short, the second person will be automatically registered and will not need to register again.

 

 

2. I received login information for e-PHAB and the password is hard to remember. Can I change my password?

 

Yes, you may change your e-PHAB password. To change your password, log in to e-PHAB using the username and password that were generated for you. Once you are logged in, click on the "My Account" button in the upper right hand corner. You will be taken to a page that will display your user profile information. On that page, you can enter a new password, confirm the new password, and submit it for changes. e-PHAB will send you an e-mail confirming the password change.   

 

 

3. Can you provide some user-friendly e-PHAB Tips?

  • The health department director and Accreditation Coordinator must complete all four modules of the Online Orientation and the evaluation in order to be assigned the unique PIN that is required to access the SOI.
  • Accreditation Coordinators and health department directors should determine who will complete the SOI and Application to avoid duplication.
  • Your e-PHAB username is always your email address.
  • Read your e-PHAB emails carefully; they contain important information such as your username and password or status and next steps.
  • Double check all information, including emails and phone numbers, prior to submitting an SOI or Application to PHAB.
  • Ensure all of your required documents are dated prior to uploading them in the Application.
  • If the Accreditation Coordinator is the person who starts an SOI for the health department, the health department director does not need to register on e-PHAB. e-PHAB will send the health department director a username (the director's e-mail address) and password. The health department director can then log in to e-PHAB with that username and password, review the information on the SOI, authorize it, and submit it to PHAB.  

 

4. Our health department is so stretched that we don't think we can ever be accredited. But, we don't want to be left out either. What advice do you have for us?

 

You are not alone. Several health departments across the country feel that way. PHAB's advice is to start where you are; identify what you need to do by looking at the Readiness Checklists on PHAB's website. Then, identify partners that might be able to assist you with the activities, especially the development of the pre-requisites. Call or email your national association to see what they have in the way of technical assistance. The key is to begin the work; it might take your health department a few years to get ready. But, that is fine. The biggest decision may be just to get started on the journey toward improving your health department's approach to doing its work. There are lots of resources available to assist you in that planning.

 

 

5. 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] or 703-778-4549 ext. 106.

 

Rachel Margolis or Marita Chilton, Accreditation Specialists, to talk about the accreditation process for health departments. Rachel may be reached at [email protected] or 703-778-4549 ext. 108, and Marita may be reached at [email protected] or 703-778-4549 ext. 114.

 

David Stone, Accreditation Education Specialist, to talk about PHAB's education services, including orientations and trainings. He may be reached at [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected].

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