Accreditation

ASTHO supports state and territorial health agencies’ efforts to improve agency performance, with the ultimate goal of improved health outcomes in the United States.  ASTHO supports the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) in its development of a voluntary national accreditation program for state, local, territorial, and tribal health agencies. ASTHO is committed to ensuring that its members have the technical support needed to become accredited and continuously improve the performance of their health agencies.  For more information on the proposed accreditation program, including the latest version of the draft accreditation standards, please visit the PHAB website.

From November 2009 through the end of 2010, the state health agencies in Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Washington, and Wyoming will participate in a beta test of the national public health accreditation program, along with 19 local and three tribal health departments. During the beta test, participating sites will work closely with PHAB on the accreditation process and provide feedback on the process, materials, and tools to inform the program’s national launch in 2011.  With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ASTHO will support the states during the beta test through the provision of technical assistance, supporting quality improvement projects, and facilitating peer exchange between agencies. 

For state and territorial health agencies preparing for accreditation, ASTHO provides resources and opportunities for technical assistance at all levels of accreditation readiness and preparation.

• State health assessment (SHA)
  
• State health improvement plan (SHIP)
  
• Strategic plan (SP)
  

Several states have provided ASTHO with examples of state health assessments, state health improvement plans, and strategic plans.  ASTHO does not endorse any particular example over another, and recommends that each state develop its own approach to these processes.  

State and territorial health agencies wishing to move forward with accreditation preparation are encouraged to download and become familiar with the most recent version of the State and Territorial Health Agency Standards, Measures, and Documentation Guidance, and the Glossary of Terms from the PHAB website.

The following state resources are examples that may be helpful in developing a system to collect, organize, and store accreditation information and documentation:

The accreditation self-assessment can help state and territorial health agencies to identify potential opportunities for improvement. 

The following resources are examples that may be helpful in analyzing the results of an accreditation self-assessment:

ASTHO considers quality improvement central to accreditation efforts, improving health agency performance, and improving health outcomes.  For more information on quality improvement, including resources for download and links to quality improvement programs and initiatives, please visit the Quality Improvement area of ASTHO’s Accreditation and Performance website.

ASTHO is a member of the Accreditation Coalition, a broad-based coalition of public health leaders. The Coalition’s purpose is to work collaboratively and strategically to promote the success of the voluntary national accreditation system in order to improve the performance of public health departments and improve the health of the population. The Coalition’s members promote accreditation through their own individual outreach activities as well as a coordinated strategic communications outreach plan to public health experts, consumers of public health services, and public health department leaders at the local, state and federal level.  Other organizations participating in the Accreditation Coalition include: