Special Supplement to the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice Highlights the Impact of Public Health Accreditation

Advancing the public health workforce to achieve organizational excellence

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Date: 6/4/2018 8:55 AM

Related Categories: Performance Management, Quality Improvement, Workforce Development

Topic: Performance Management and Quality Improvement, Workforce Development

Tag: Accreditation, Council on Linkages, Performance Improvement, Performance Management, PHF E-News, Publication, Quality Improvement, TRAIN, Training, Workforce Development

With nearly 70% of the U.S. population now served by a public health agency accredited through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), it is crucial to highlight and discuss the progress made through this program and how it has led to the increased quality and performance of public health practice. The impact of accreditation is captured in a special supplement to the May/June 2018 edition of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The online edition of this special supplement is being offered with free access on the journal's website, and includes contributions from members of the Public Health Foundation’s (PHF) staff and Board of Directors, as well as several references to tools and resources developed by the Foundation.

The supplement includes commentary from PHF President Ron Bialek, who lays out a brief history and a call to action on addressing workforce needs. In From Talk to Action: The Impact of Public Health Department Accreditation on Workforce Development, Mr. Bialek discusses how public health accreditation has jumpstarted public health workforce development. Mr. Bialek also highlights how PHF has responded and continues to respond to various workforce needs, including the launch of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) in 1992 and the TRAIN Learning Network in 2003. Today, the Council on Linkages includes 23 national organizations and the TRAIN Learning Network continues growing with more than 1.75 million users from the health workforce, many of whom are seeking skill-building learning and training opportunities.

“The Public Health Accreditation Board’s emphasis on quality improvement (QI) and performance management created a cultural shift within many agencies, reinforcing continuous improvement, development of new skills and competencies, and overall organization-wide capacity building,” Mr. Bialek writes in his commentary.

Within the supplement, Les Beitsch, a member of PHF’s Board of Directors, authored Has Voluntary Public Health Accreditation Impacted Health Department Perceptions and Activities in Quality Improvement and Performance Management?, which assessed if local health departments who were accredited showed great improvements with QI and performance management implementation over time, and The Impact of Public Health Department Accreditation: 10 Years of Lessons Learned, the supplement’s opening editorial. Dr. Beitsch was also interviewed by PHAB's Communications Manager Teddi Nicolaus on the journal's podcast.

Throughout years of providing technical assistance and training to public health agencies, PHF has observed first-hand how accreditation through PHAB has been a driver of organizational improvements and increased efficiency and effectiveness.

PHF offers accreditation-related support in each of its focus areas, including accreditation-related, on-site technical assistance in quality improvement, performance management, and workforce development. PHF is pleased to have assisted more than 30% of all PHAB-accredited health departments to-date on their quality improvement, performance management, workforce development, and strategic planning goals.

For accreditation technical assistance or support, contact Vanessa Lamers at [email protected].

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