NEW RELEASES
And the Award goes to….
Each year the NCLHD Accreditation program presents fun awards at the Annual Skills-Building Workshop. The awards recognize that while Accreditation is a serious and sometimes stressful process, it is also a process that can bring a team together, highlight exceptional programs and be celebrated. In this spirit, health departments are nominated for awards by the Site Visitors. The following health departments were recognized at the workshop this year:
Guildford County Public Health – Your Smiling Face Award
(Least stressed AAC/Team during a site visit or exceptionally positive attitude)
“The AAC and team were pleasant, confident, efficient and coordinated via a true team approach. The site visit was very positive, and it was clear that leadership values the work of every team member, including community partners.”
Jackson County Department of Public Health – Shower the People Award
(Best unknown example of a cool program)
“I have never been blown away at an animal shelter until Jackson County. It was clear the staff were enthusiastic about their program and protection of animals. Every dog and cat met us with wagging tails. There was no lingering foul smell as is typical at a shelter. The staff commented that every animal is taken out every day for social time. They gave several examples of animals which were completely unsocial when brought into the shelter but were socialized into loving animals which could be adopted. The supervisor commented their euthanasia rate for adoptable animals was 0%! They have connections with programs in other states to help adopt animals. The county is currently planning to build an adoption center separate from the shelter to further encourage visits and adoptions.”
Cherokee County Health Department – Country Road Award
(Furthest from a hotel or most miles traveled during a site visit)
“Our site visit team drove a total of 2,864 miles round-trip, which was 573 miles on average.”
(Best example of teamwork)
“A true team approach team approach to accreditation including multiple AACs and an active, but friendly and low-key war-room. Clear evidence of confidence, engagement and knowledge in core team as well as throughout staff.”Dashboard Pilot Recognition
In addition to the counties recognized with awards, the Greene County Department of Public Health and Albemarle Regional Health Services were recognized for their efforts in being the first two counties to go through the entire site visit process using the dashboard.New Location for the fall 2019 Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training
The Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator (AAC) Training is an interactive training that provides an orientation to the accreditation process, an overview of the online dashboard for evidence review and submission, and tips for being a successful AAC. This training is for new AACs, co-AACs and back-up AACs. The training will be held September 24, 2019 from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the BB&T Building (201 W. Market Street), Greensboro, N.C. Registration is $60 per person and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Click here to register. Registration will close on September 10.NCLHD Accreditation Annual Skills-Building Workshop Presentations Posted
The presentations for the 2019 Annual Workshop are posted our website.
NCLHD Accreditation Dashboard Frequently Asked Questions
We have posted a document containing frequently asked questions about the dashboard to the NCLHDA Dashboard page of our website. The document will be updated regularly.
ACCREDITATION IN ACTION
NCLHD Accreditation Annual Report – now posted!
During the skills-building workshop, it was requested that we change the date of the bi-annual webinar, which was initially scheduled for September 27. The webinar is now scheduled for October 1, from 9 – 10 a.m. There is no cost to attend, however, registration is required. Register by 5 p.m. on September 30: http://go.unc.edu/Oct19Regional Workgroups Updated
A new regional workgroup has been formed between Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, Union, Rowan, Stanly, Iredell and Cleveland counties. Autumn Watson, the Mecklenburg County AAC, is serving as their representative on the AAC Advisory Council. Our website has been updated with this new information. Please continue to email us at NCLHDaccreditation@unc.edu with any updates that need to be made to this page.
KEY DATES
Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training: September 24, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Greensboro, N.C. Registration closes September 10, 2019.
Bi-Annual Accreditation Dashboard Webinar: October 1, 9-10 a.m. Webinar. There is no fee, however, registration is required. The webinar will provide an overview of the NCLHDA Dashboard for all users. The webinar will cover content that was covered at the workshop in August and is aimed at individuals who cannot attend the workshop. We will offer bi-annual webinars to support the use of the dashboard. Register: http://go.unc.edu/Oct19
NCLHD Accreditation Board meeting: November 22, 2019, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Wake County Human Services, Swinburne Training Room #2149, 220 Swinburne St., Raleigh, N.C., 27610.
NCLHD Accreditation Annual Update Webinar: January 21, 2020, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Webinar. There is no fee, however, registration is required and will open in December.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR ACCREDITATION SUCCESS: STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Caldwell County Submission Folders
According to Chad Coffey, Co-AAC at the Caldwell County Health Department:
“We used to do purely online submissions of evidence/documentation. Staff responsible for benchmarks would email the AACs the documentation that they thought would work and the AACs would upload the document to their accreditation server folder. While, it seemed like a very good idea at first, it caused quite bit of confusion and organizational issues. We found that documentation would get lost or staff could not recall correctly if they had submitted documentation or not. To address these issues, we created a submission folder for our team members. The folder has a sheet in the front with a place for the date, the evidence being submitted, benchmark number, if it meets the requirement for the activity or not, and a received by signature with a comment section. Once we fill out the sheet and have decided that the documentation will work, we then can upload it to the dashboard. Implementing this has really helped Caldwell County as far as staff accountability goes. Everyone seems to like this process much better and it has been going smoothly.”
For more information on this process, contact Chad Coffey at ccoffey@caldwellcountync.org.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Share your tips and tricks for accreditation success with other local health departments across the state. If you have a tip or trick that you would like to share, send a summary -no more than 500 words including the activity addressed and any lessons learned. Please send your submission to NCLHDaccreditation@unc.edu. Stories will be shared via these monthly highlights.