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Thanks again for contributing to the annual accreditNATION survey. Raffle winners will be notified and prizes mailed this week. Below are some interesting facts we learned from this year's survey:
  • 36% of the 222 LHD respondents indicated that their agency is in Phase 4 of the Roadmap to a Culture of Quality Improvement (Formalized QI activities in specific program areas)
  • 72% of the 222 LHD respondents indicated that they view Performance Management as an area where they need technical assistance
  • 47% of the 222 LHD respondents indicate that they view their state health department as a primary source of technical assistance for performance improvement

Reminder: New Funding Opportunity for LHD Accreditation Preparation Support  

  

With funding from the CDC's Office for State, Tribal, Local, & Territorial Support, NACCHO is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for local health departments (LHDs) to engage in accreditation readiness activities. The 2013-2014 Accreditation Support Initiative (ASI) awards are intended to stimulate quality improvement and promote LHD readiness to seek voluntary national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board.

Application requirements and full details about the ASI opportunity are provided in the Request for Applications (RFA) and the application reference document. Applications, via the online submission form, are due Wednesday, November 13, 2013.

NACCHO and CDC staff hosted an optional teleconference call on October 31, 2013 to walk through the RFA and application, and answer questions. The recording can be accessed here.

Additionally, a new FAQ document has been posted to NACCHO's website in which answers to common questions about the ASI RFA and application can be found.

As noted in the RFA, NACCHO encourages applicants to review its standard contract language prior to completing the application. Modifications to the terms will not be made for selected sites.

Access the RFA and application reference document at: www.naccho.org/fees.
Questions about this opportunity can be directed to [email protected] 
 
Submit a Sharing Session Abstract for NACCHO Annual 2014

The theme for the NACCHO Annual 2014 Conference, set for July 9-11, in Atlanta, GA, is "The New Era of Public Health: Science, Innovation, and Policy." Tracks at next year's meeting will be Assessment in the New Era, Policy in the New Era, and Assurance in the New Era. 

The NACCHO Annual Conference Workgroup is currently seeking sharing session abstracts for sessions that will showcase all the opportunities available to LHDs to examine strategies, share ideas, and plan actions for sustaining or reinventing their organizations in the new era. The Accreditation Preparation and Quality Improvement Team encourages LHDs to submit sessions focusing on their accreditation and quality improvement successes. 
For conference track descriptions and objectives, or to find out more about submitting an abstract, visit  
2012-2013 Performance Improvement Webinar Series Available
 
NACCHO is excited to announce that all five webinars in its 2012-2013 Accreditation Preparation and Performance Improvement Series are available for free online viewing. The following programs occurred over the past year:
  • Accreditation and Healthy People 2020
  • Accreditation Prerequisites: How to conduct processes that yield a CHA, a CHIP, and a Strategic Plan
  • Performing Better Together: Improving through peer networking
  • Performance Management in Public Health: From conceptualization to implementation
  • Using NACCHO's Resources for Performance Improvement

To find out more information, or to view these presentations, visit

 

Access to QI Publication for NACCHO Members

 
Thanks to a partnership with the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services & Systems Research (PHSSR), NACCHO is pleased to share with its members free access to the current issue of Frontiers in PHSSR, which includes the full manuscript of a paper that focuses on the relationship between engagement in quality improvement (QI) and health information technology (HIT) at local health departments. The paper includes valuable research findings that indicate that LHDs and their system partners (hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and primary care providers) that utilize HIT as part of their QI decision making may have an easier time of using data to support evidence-based decision making and implementing the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 in order to achieve population health for all. As part of the continuing partnership, NACCHO members can also subscribe to receive free copies of the journal as they are published. For more information or to subscribe, visit http://uknowledge.uky.edu/frontiersinphssr/
 
 
2014 Call for Applications: National Leadership Academy for the Public's Health

NACCHO is pleased to support the participation of four teams in the National Leadership Academy for the Public's Health. Run by the Public Health Institute, NLAPH brings together teams made up of four community members from different sectors to engage in a year-long leadership development program. Aimed at existing leaders, this program will deepen each team's knowledge and skills around multi-sector collaboration, quality improvement, program planning, health equity and overall leadership mastery through personal team coaching, a national retreat and an applied community health project.

The application period is currently open and submissions will be accepted through November 26, 2013 by 5pm PST. For more information about the program and to submit an application, please visit www.healthleadership.org.