Wayne Co. Health Dept. gets national accreditation
The Wayne County Health Department recently announced it has been awarded national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board. Established in 2007, PHAB is the nonprofit organization that administers the national accreditation program, which aims to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure and innovation.
“We are so pleased to be recognized by PHAB for achieving national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement,” health commissioner Nicholas Cascarelli said. “We hope this announcement will reassure our community, partners, funders and our elected officials that the services we provide are as responsive as possible and are meeting the foundational needs of our community.”
The national accreditation program, which receives support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sets standards against which the nation’s governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance. Standards emphasize foundational capabilities and are aligned with the 10 Essential Public Health Services.
“The value of becoming nationally accredited through PHAB extends far beyond the walls of the health department,” said PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN. “People living and working in communities served by these health departments can be assured that their health department is strong and has the capacity to protect and promote their health. Just going through the accreditation process itself helps health departments pinpoint the areas that are critical to improving the work they do for their communities.”
Often called the “backbone” of the public health system, public health departments are on the front lines of communities’ efforts to protect and promote health and prevent disease and injury.