Welcome to ASTHO's Accreditation Library!

This online repository is intended to serve as a resource and reference for state health agencies who are preparing to seek voluntary accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board. The goal of the Accreditation Library is to help generate ideas for state health agency staff and accreditation teams as they identify and select documentation that conforms to the guidance in the PHAB Standards and Measures. Below you will find example documentation, submitted from several state health agencies in various stages of the accreditation process. Each example is prefaced with a coversheet that contains a brief description of the document and justification explaining how it meets the specific standard and measure

Read more about this resource: ASTHO's Accreditation Library Factsheet

• Domain 1: ASSESS
  • Conduct and disseminate assessments focused on population health status and public health issues facing the community
  • Standard 1.1: Participate in or Conduct a Collaborative Process Resulting in a Comprehensive Community Health Assessment
  • Standard 1.2: Collect and Maintain Reliable, Comparable, and Valid Data That Provide Information on Conditions of Public Health Importance and On the Health Status of the Population
  • Standard 1.3: Analyze Public Health Data to Identify Trends in Health Problems, Environmental Public Health Hazards, and Social and Economic Factors That Affect the Public’s Health
  • Standard 1.4: Provide and Use the Results of Health Data Analysis to Develop Recommendations Regarding Public Health Policy, Processes, Programs, or Interventions
• Domain 2: INVESTIGATE
  • Investigate health problems and environmental public health hazards to protect the community
  • Standard 2.1: Conduct Timely Investigations of Health Problems and Environmental Public Health Hazards
  • Standard 2.2: Contain/Mitigate Health Problems and Environmental Public Health Hazards
  • Standard 2.3: Ensure Access to Laboratory and Epidemiologic/Environmental Public Health Expertise and Capacity to Investigate and Contain/Mitigate Public Health Problems and Environmental Public Health Hazards
  • Standard 2.4: Maintain a Plan with Policies and Procedures for Urgent and Non-Urgent Communications
• Domain 3: INFORM & EDUCATE
  • Inform and educate about public health issues and functions
  • Standard 3.1: Provide Health Education and Health Promotion Policies, Programs, Processes, and Interventions to Support Prevention and Wellness
  • Standard 3.2: Provide Information on Public Health Issues and Public Health Functions Through Multiple Methods to a Variety of Audiences
• Domain 4: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
  • Engage with the community to identify and address health problems
  • Standard 4.1: Engage with the Public Health System and the Community in Identifying and Addressing Health Problems Through Collaborative Processes
  • Standard 4.2: Promote the Community’s Understanding of and Support for Policies and Strategies That will Improve the Public’s Health
• Domain 5: POLICIES & PLANS
  • Develop public health policies and plans
  • Standard 5.1: Serve As a Primary and Expert Resource for Establishing and Maintaining Public Health Policies, Practices, and Capacity
  • Standard 5.2: Conduct a Comprehensive Planning Process Resulting in a Tribal/State/Community Health Improvement Plan
  • Standard 5.3: Develop and Implement a Health Department Organizational Strategic Plan
  • Standard 5.4: Maintain an All Hazards Emergency Operations Plan
• Domain 6: PUBLIC HEALTH LAWS
  • Enforce public health laws
  • Standard 6.1: Review Existing Laws and Work with Governing Entities and Elected/Appointed Officials to Update as Needed
  • Standard 6.2: Educate Individuals and Organizations On the Meaning, Purpose, and Benefit of Public Health Laws and How to Comply
  • Standard 6.3: Conduct and Monitor Public Health Enforcement Activities and Coordinate Notification of Violations among Appropriate Agencies
• Domain 7: ACCESS TO CARE
  • Promote strategies to improve access to health care services
  • Standard 7.1: Assess Health Care Capacity and Access to Health Care Services
  • Standard 7.2: Identify and Implement Strategies to Improve Access to Health Care Services
• Domain 8: WORKFORCE
  • Maintain a competent public health workforce
  • Standard 8.1: Encourage the Development of a Sufficient Number of Qualified Public Health Workers
  • Standard 8.2: Assess Staff Competencies and Address Gaps by Enabling Organizational and Individual Training and Development
• Domain 9: QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
  • Evaluate and continuously improve processes, programs, and interventions
  • Standard 9.1: Use a Performance Management System to Monitor Achievement of Organizational Objectives
  • Standard 9.2: Develop and Implement Quality Improvement Processes Integrated Into Organizational Practice, Programs, Processes, and Interventions
• Domain 10: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES
  • Contribute to and apply the evidence base of public health
  • Standard 10.1: Identify and Use the Best Available Evidence for Making Informed Public Health Practice Decisions
  • Standard 10.2: Promote Understanding and Use of Research Results, Evaluations, and Evidence-based Practices With Appropriate Audiences
• Domain 11: ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT
  • Maintain administrative and management capacity
  • Standard 11.1: Develop and Maintain an Operational Infrastructure to Support the Performance of Public Health Functions
  • Standard 11.2: Establish Effective Financial Management Systems
• Domain 12: GOVERNANCE
  • Maintain capacity to engage the public health governing entity
  • Standard 12.1: Maintain Current Operational Definitions and Statements of the Public Health Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities
  • Standard 12.2: Provide Information to the Governing Entity Regarding Public Health and the Official Responsibilities of the Health Department and of the Governing Entity
  • Standard 12.3: Encourage the Governing Entity’s Engagement In the Public Health Department’s Overall Obligations and Responsibilities

Do you have example documentation to share?  Please forward your documentation and a completed Submission Form to accreditation@astho.org for internal review and posting.

Please note that the inclusion of documentation examples in this library does not indicate official approval or acceptance by PHAB and should not be used as template.