New Releases
NCLHD Accreditation 2020 Summer Webinar Series
In lieu of holding the Annual Skills-Building Workshop this year, we are holding a series of 1.5-hour webinars that health departments can register to attend. The webinars will be held in June, July and August. Registration for the series of three webinars is $79 per health department (No continuing education credit will be offered. Each registered health department will get a link to the join the webinars, they can host the webinar in a main room and have as many staff join as they would like). The registration fee covers all three webinars; there will be no single webinar registrations. Just like the annual workshop, the focus will be on skills building with topics such as building cultural competency, using existing resources to develop a training plan and engaging all staff in using the Health Department Self-Assessment Interpretation Document (HDSAI) to collect and submit evidence for accreditation activities. More details will be available soon.
North Carolina Institute for Public Health Training Website
The North Carolina Institute for Public Health will be retiring its training website in Spring 2020. Many of the online modules that were on the site will be made available through other sources. The “Where are my Trainings?” page contains up-to-date information on where various training courses will be hosted.
Accreditation in Action
NCLHDA Dashboard Tips and Tricks –Adding New Users
Users with Org Admin access in the dashboard can add or remove departmental users as needed and on their own. Once a new user is added, email us at NCLHDaccreditation@unc.edu to assign the user the current Group in dashboard (either NCLHDA 2019 or NCLHDA Fall 2019 – Fall 2023). The steps for adding a new user are outlined in the Org Admin User Guide.
Once you add a new user, make sure they are aware of the General User Guide and the most recent archived Bi-Annual Dashboard Webinar; both are posted on the dashboard page of our website.
Key Dates
Bi-Annual NCLHD Accreditation Dashboard Webinar: April 21, 2020, 10 – 11 a.m. There is no fee; however, registration is required. Register now.
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. Register now.
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 N.C., in the Cardinal room.
Tips and Tricks for Accreditation Success: Stories From the Field
Region Three Mock Site Visits
The Region Three Workgroup (Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, Watauga-Ashe-Alleghany, Wilkes, Yadkin) conducts mock site visits with each county in their region approximately one month before the county’s official site visit. They use the Activities that Require Visual Observation document as a guide during the mock visit. They ask the health department’s applicable staff to tour with them and they take notes as they conduct the mock site visit. They interview staff about policy, accessibility, notifications of updates, etc. They also inspect signage, observe the facilities for accessibility for persons with physical disabilities, look for potential breaches in patient privacy, inspect for cleanliness and methods of disinfection, assess cleaning logs and equipment calibration logs, etc. These visits typically take two hours. They end the visit with a “Hot Wash” including the Health Director, Director of Nursing and AAC, if possible. Each member of the mock site visit team shares their experience and leaves their contact information for further questions, as needed.
According to Denise Price, the Forsyth County AAC, “a key component of the accreditation process for our region is the voluntary mock facility review. The review, typically conducted 2-4 weeks in advance of the scheduled onsite visits, are a valuable (and benign!) way to assess readiness, gain new perspectives, and learn about peer accreditation experiences. The team reviews potential areas for improvement and, as needed, collectively brainstorms solutions and best practices. And as a bonus, there is a built-in support group and cheerleading squad in the days leading up to the onsite review!”
Denise further explains, “as a new AAC, the knowledge that was shared by my peers during the mock site visit was invaluable. The team provided feedback about what we were doing well, and suggested opportunities for improvement. The process also allowed us to work out the ‘jitters’ so that we could present confidently during the “real” onsite. The learning continues when performing mock reviews for my peers, offering an opportunity to observe innovative work being done by other local health departments, and reinforcing knowledge about accreditation requirements.”
For additional information contact Emily Mayes at mayese@co.surry.nc.us
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.