NEW RELEASES
NCLHD Accreditation Annual Update Webinar – Registration is now open!
January 21 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
The 2020 NCLHD Accreditation Annual Update Webinar will be held on January 21 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. The webinar will provide updates on changes made to the NCLHD Accreditation Dashboard, an update of changes made to the Operational Guidelines and an overview of the plan for systematically reviewing accreditation activities. We encourage at least one person from each health department to attend the webinar. The webinar will be archived and posted on our website for later viewing. There is no cost to attend, however, you must register: http://go.unc.edu/Update2020.
Save the Dates:
Bi-Annual NCLHD Accreditation Dashboard Webinar
April 21 from 10—11 a.m.
Two times a year the NCLHD Accreditation Program offers a webinar on the use of the dashboard for evidence submission and review. The webinar is appropriate for all types of users. There is no fee to join the webinar, however, registration will be required. Registration will open in February.
Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training
April 23 from 9 a.m.—4 p.m.
The spring 2020 Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training will be held on April 23 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), 100 Europa Drive, Chapel Hill N.C. Registration will open on January 21, 2020. The registration fee is $60.
The New 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 fall 2020 New AAC training will be held on Tuesday September 15 prior to the NCPHA Fall Educational Conference in Wilmington. More details will be available soon.
Accreditation in Action
Congratulations to the Health Departments Reaccredited at the November 22 Board Meeting
The following health departments were reaccredited at the November 22, 2019 Board meeting:
Swain County Health Department Reaccredited with Honors (not pictured)
Edgecombe County Health Department Reaccredited with Honors
Warren County Health Department Reaccredited with Honors
Halifax County Health Department Reaccredited with Honors
Richmond County Health Department Reaccredited with Honors
Surry County Health & Nutrition Center Reaccredited with Honors
Alamance County Health Department Reaccreditation with Honors
Wake County Human Services – Public Health and Environmental Health Divisions Reaccredited
Outgoing NCLHD Accreditation Board Members Recognized
Susan Elmore and Phyllis Rocco were recognized during the November 22, 2019 NCLHD Accreditation Board meeting for their service to the Board. Susan is rotating off the Board after representing the Association of N.C. Board of Health for four years, she also served as the Chair of the Appeals committee. Phyllis Rocco is rotating off after representing the N.C. Division of Public Health for six years. We value the contributions that Susan and Phyllis have made during their time on the Board.
Susan Elmore (center) is recognized for four years of device to the NCLHDA Board.
Minutes from the May 2019 NCLHD Accreditation Board Meeting are Posted
The minutes from the May 2019 NCLHDA Accreditation Board meeting are available on our website.
Key Dates
NCLHD Accreditation Annual Update Webinar: January 21, 2020, 9:30—11:30 a.m. Webinar. There is no fee, however, registration is required: http://go.unc.edu/Update2020.
Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training: April 23, 2020, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), 100 Europa Drive, Chapel Hill, N.C. Registration will open January 21, 2020.
NCLHD Accreditation Board meeting: May 8, 2020 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. North Carolina Division of Public Health, 5506 Six Forks Rd., Raleigh NC, in the Cardinal room.
Tips and Tricks for Accreditation Success
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Johnston County
According to Tracy Hadjipetrou, CC4C Social Work Supervisor, Co-AAC, :
Keeping What Works While Transitioning to a New Method
We used a Co-AAC model for our fall 2018 site visit and it worked really well for us. Christy Barfield, DON and I, served as co-AACs. We both agreed early in the process to be 100 percent accountable for the entire accreditation process. In other words, we would both be fully committed to having a positive outcome (hopefully Accreditation with Honors) related to the evidence being submitted on the flash drive and during the site visit.
I purchased some creative supplies to engage the staff. The current “Owl” boards (pictured) are a replication of our “Charlie Brown” boards (pictured). The Charlie Brown boards were inspired by Iredell County’s CATT tool to have something posted on a main hallway in the Health Department to engage all the staff in the Accreditation process. The boards outlined when each activity is due, who is responsible, and cute puppy stickers are used to show that the activity was completed. The boards offered an opportunity for staff to have a visual of the progress made and who may be a little delinquent on submitting evidence.
The six months prior to submitting the flash drive, Christy and I blocked numerous half and whole days to give our undivided attention to fine tuning evidence, cleaning up the virtual folders, double checking the activities to ensure all the needed evidence was present, and hyperlinking the flash drive. Through this process, we were able to learn a great deal about each other, capitalize on one another’s strengths, and it was nice to always have someone to brainstorm ideas with about accreditation.
During the site visit, we established a war room near the Site Visitor’s room to provide quick access to the Site Visit Team and the AAC liaison. As AACs, we each had predetermined responsibilities based on our individual strengths. When the questions were received from the Site Visit Team, I copied all the questions onto bright colored paper so that they were not lost in the piles of paperwork in the war room. The “paint” themed boards (pictured) categorized the activities into the five categories of: Assessment, Policy Development, Assurance, Facilities/Admin., and Governance. This allowed the war room team to quickly access and prioritize which questions needed to be answered first. Pink sticky notes were used to show that a question had been received, a person’s name was written on the sticky note to show who was gathering the new evidence, and a green sticky note was used to show that the evidence had been resubmitted to the Site Visit Team. In the war room there were a handful of other staff members who volunteered to being committed to focusing on answering accreditation questions that day. Most of these staff members were responsible for large portions of the accreditation documentation. As Christy notes, “It was a great work group with everyone working as a team, invested in the agency’s success.” As it turned out, Johnston County Public Health Department was Reaccredited with Honors.
The Co-AAC models of shared responsibility worked so well, we have added a third AAC, so now we are a Tri-AAC Model. As we move to the dashboard, we are keeping many of the same strategies as we used in preparation for the fall 2018 site visit. The Owl boards continue to be a way for all the staff members to be involved in the accreditation process and they serve a visual reminder that accreditation is a four-year process, not just the Site Visit.
For more information contact Tracy Hadjipetrou at tracy.hadjipetrou@johnstonnc.com
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.