District Health Department #10 (DHD#10) is announcing that it has achieved national reaccreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). PHAB’s accreditation program works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing and ultimately transforming the quality and performance of the nation’s state, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments. DHD#10 is one of eight local health departments across the state, and one of 322 local health departments across the nation, that have achieved accreditation through PHAB since the organization launched in 2011.

“We received initial accreditation in 2015 and are pleased to have achieved reaccreditation in 2023. This reaccreditation highlights our dedication to the national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement,” said DHD#10 Health Officer Kevin Hughes. “The reaccreditation process helps to ensure that the programs and services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community. With this accreditation, DHD#10 is demonstrating increased accountability and credibility to the public, funders, elected officials and partner organizations with which we work.”

The national accreditation program, jointly supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sets standards against which the nation’s nearly 3,000 governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance. To receive accreditation, a health department must undergo a thorough, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure it meets or exceeds a set of quality standards and measures.

“The seal of PHAB accreditation shows that we have been rigorously examined and either meet or exceed national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health,” said Deputy Health Officer Sarah Oleniczak. “By continuing to improve our services and performance, we can be sure we are meeting the public health needs our community as effectively as possible. It’s not only a tremendous honor to have achieved reaccreditation, but also to have staff that continue to provide the quality of services needed to meet and exceed those standards.”

The national accreditation program was created collaboratively over a 10-year period by hundreds of public health practitioners working at the national, Tribal, state, and local levels. Since the program’s launch in September 2011, hundreds of public health departments have applied to PHAB for accreditation, and hundreds of public health practitioners from across the nation have been trained to serve as volunteer peer site visitors for the program.

For more information about DHD#10 and the services we offer, please visit https://www.dhd10.org.