The Nash County Health Department is proud to announce that they have been awarded accreditation status by the North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation (NCLHDA) Board. Accreditation is only designated to local health departments and districts that undertake and meet a series of stringent standards outlined in current state statutes and administrative codes to ensure the protection of the health of the public.
Accreditation site visitors assessed the Nash County Health Department on October 15-17, 2013 and recommended the department for accreditation status. At their December 20, 2013 meeting, the NCLHDA Board awarded Nash County Health Department their official status.
Nash County Board of Health member Sarah Thurman states, “The public often doesn’t understand all of what goes into an agency (such as a hospital or health department) accreditation process. A lot of good work has been done by the Nash County Health Department and this is quite an accomplishment.”
Echoes Nash County Board of Health Chairman Dr. Mike Johnson, “This accreditation status is a major achievement. During our interviews with the site visitors, we were very pleased to hear the good things they observed at the Nash County Health Department. While we have always known that first-rate work was being done here on a daily basis, it was great to hear that echoed by independent evaluators.”
The focus of North Carolina’s Local Health Department Accreditation is on the capacity of the local health department to perform at a prescribed, basic level of quality the three core functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance and the ten essential services of public health. It is required by legislation that all health departments will be accredited. Nash County Health Department is now among the 82 accredited health departments in NC.
“I am extremely proud of our success in achieving accreditation status- kudos go to our staff, our Board of Health, and our community partners who assisted with this process. Being an accredited local health department assures our citizens that we are meeting high performance standards in all that we do. Though you may not receive the same array of services here that you might see in bigger counties like Wake or Mecklenburg, this accreditation demonstrates that we effectively provide core services and that the quality of the services we do provide are top-notch, ” states Bill Hill, Nash County Health Director.
As stated in a letter from Dr. Robert Blackburn, Chair of the NCLHDA Board, “The Accreditation Board has a true appreciation for all of the hard work completed by the Board of Health and health department staff. Achieving accreditation is truly an accomplishment that your health department and community should be very proud of and the Accreditation Board truly appreciates your dedication to improving the public’s health in NC.”
The current accreditation status is good for 2013-2017. In 2017, Nash County Health Department will be reaccredited. While staff are pleased with what has already been accomplished, quality improvement efforts are already underway at the agency to prepare for 2017.