The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) awarded national accreditation status to five more public health departments on August 20. This means there are now 19 public health agencies (two states and 17 local) that have achieved accreditation.
Hundreds of
health departments, including Maine CDC, are currently preparing to seek
national accreditation. To receive accreditation, a health department must
undergo a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure
it meets or exceeds a set of public
health quality standards and measures.
“The country
should be proud of health departments that continue to demonstrate their
capacity to meet the national public health accreditation standards,” said PHAB
President and CEO Kaye Bender.
“Overall,
the willingness to have others assess your health department’s ability to meet
national public health standards…is an inspiration to all of us working in
public health,” said PHAB Board of Directors Vice Chair Leslie M. Beitsch.
The Maine
CDC continues to prepare for this process and plans to submit its application
to be accredited in January 2014. “I’m gratified by all of the work that has
been done by Maine CDC programs to prepare for accreditation,” said Maine CDC
Director Dr. Sheila Pinette. “We are proud of our staff and to be a part of
this important national movement in public health.”
To learn
more about the Public Health Accreditation program, visit http://www.phaboard.org, or contact Maine
CDC’s Accreditation Coordinator, Kate Marone, at kate.marone@maine.gov
