About Accreditation
National voluntary public health accreditation provides a benchmark to measure how well governmental public health departments are providing the 10 Essential Public Health Services. Accreditation promotes high performance and continuous quality improvement, illustrates accountability to the public and policymakers, and clarifies the expectation of health departments. In addition, accreditation provides a framework for health departments to
- Identify performance improvement opportunities
- Develop its leadership skills
- Improve relationships with the community
The process is managed by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) became an accredited health department on May 14, 2021, and encourages local health departments in Indiana to explore the potential benefits of accreditation.
Where is Indiana in the process?
Indiana's Process for Accreditation
IDOH hired an accreditation coordinator in 2015 to help drive the accreditation journey. Time was taken to learn about the accreditation process and purpose, and providing that knowledge to the staff to lay the foundation of the work needed to be successful. In 2016 a team of individuals was brought together to do an overview and large gap analysis. This team of 14 individuals started what is known as the A-Team
Over the next 18 months, the agency worked on closing some of those gaps and developing the required documentation needed for application submission. In February 2018 the A-Team expanded and developed "Domain Teams". These teams are led by individuals who originally start the accreditation team and became what was known as the "Core Team". Domain teams met an average of once a month to review the standards and measures and identify needed documentation. In the fall of 2018, the A-Team expanded once more to develop the "Review Team". This group of individuals reviewed documents for accuracy and clarity, assessing for items such as spelling errors, clear descriptions, correct labeling in coversheets, and completeness of the example.
IDOH submitted its documentation to PHAB on June 28, 2019. While responding to questions and submitting additional supporting documents when necessary, IDOH started to prepare for the site visit. Preparation included notifying stakeholders and partners of our progress and inviting them to come to speak to the PHAB site review team, preparing staff for their interviews, and holding a mock site visit to help better prepare the agency for the exciting event. IDOH welcomed the site visit team on February 5th and 6th of 2020. In June, IDOH received a recommendation of measures they should focus on over the next 12 months. IDOH worked diligently on these items, while also responding to the Covid-19 emergency, and submitted additional documentation on March 31, 2021. Less than one year later, IDOH received the honor of officially becoming an accredited state health department on May 14, 2021!
Example Documentation
The following IDOH document examples include documents that have been reviewed by PHAB and received either a fully or largely met score under the Standards and Measures Version 1.5. Documents created after March 31, 2021, have not been reviewed by PHAB. IDOH cannot guarantee any examples produced based on these examples will fully meet the requirements of its corresponding measure. For more information on areas of strengths and weaknesses within the examples please contact the IDOH Accreditation Coordinator, Patricia Truelove, at PTruelove1@health.in.gov.
State Plans Examples (Developed under 1.5 Standards)
Prior Indiana State Plan Examples (Reviewed by PHAB Under Version 1.5)
- Indiana State Health Assessment Process (1.1.1S3)
- Indiana State Health Assessment (1.1.2S1)
- Indiana State Health Improvement Plan Process (5.2.1S1)
- Indiana State Health Improvement Plan (5.2.2S1)
Agency Plan Examples (Current: Originally Developed under 1.5 Standards and will be updated if necessary for 2022 standards)
Prior Agency Plans (Reviewed by PHAB Under Version 1.5)
- IDOH's Organizational Branding Strategy (3.2.2A1)
- IDOH's Performance Management System (9.1.2A1)
- IDOH's Strategic Planning Process (5.3.1A1)
- IDOH's Strategic Plan (5.3.2A1)
- IDOH's Workforce Development Plan (8.2.1A1)
- IDOH's Quality Improvement Plan (9.2.1A1)
Resources
Public Health Accreditation Board
Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is the not-for-profit entity responsible for granting voluntary public health accreditation. PHAB provides many resources to assist in accreditation readiness.
- Documents to assist with readiness, terms, tips, do's & don'ts, tracking sheet, documentation preparation
- 2022 PHAB Initial Accreditation Standards and Measures
- 2022 PHAB Reaccreditation Standards and Measures
ASTHO
ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing public health agencies in the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia, and over 100,000 public health professionals, these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, formulate and influence sound public health policy and ensure excellence in state-based public health practice. ASTHO's primary function is to track, evaluate, and advise members on the impact and formation of public or private health policy which may affect them and to provide them with guidance and technical assistance on improving the nation's health
NACCHO
NACCHO is a national organization that services local health departments by providing "cutting-edge, skill-building, professional resources and programs, seeking health equity, and supporting effective local public health practices and systems." Additionally, NACCHO advocates on behalf of local public health departments in policies and helps build alliances and partnerships. NACCHO is located in Washington, D.C., and helps provide a number of educational tools and resources to public health professionals.
Other Documents
Contact
IDOH Accreditation Coordinator
Patricia Truelove: PTruelove1@health.in.gov
IDOH Accreditation Program Team
Maria Beltran: MBeltran@health.in.gov
