New Releases 
A Message from the Accreditation Administrator
As we begin the new year, we acknowledge the tireless effort of local health departments to rise to the challenges of addressing an on-going pandemic and providing the much-needed vaccine. Our goal is to continue to support local health departments in this effort. Currently, the NCLHD Accreditation Board is working with the NC Association of Local Health Directors to support a second extension of up to twelve months for accreditation. Additionally, our staff is taking the proactive steps of planning actions to provide a remedy for annual requirements that may be impacted by pandemic work if the extension is executed (such as extending the 2020 Retrospective HDSAI Interpretation document to incorporate the 2021 calendar year as well). At this point, no decision on a waiver has been made- it must be allowed for through a new Executive Order from the Governor’s Office. However, we wanted to make you aware of the possibility and of our support for a waiver. We do not have any additional information at this point, but we will keep you posted as more information becomes available.
Release of the HDSAI Interpretation Document Revisions – April 22, 2021
With the potential of a second twelve-month accreditation extension, the NCLHD Accreditation Board has voted to delay the release of the HDSAI Interpretation Document revisions. The plan is now to release the revisions during the monthly webinar on April 22 (see details below). The revisions will not go into effect until January 1, 2022. The revisions are being posted this spring to provide an opportunity for local health department staff to review and become familiar with the changes before they go into effect on January 1, 2022. We are still planning to hold trainings on the changes in the spring (see below).
2021 NCLHD Accreditation Annual Update Webinar Recording Posted
The recording of the 2021 Annual NCLHD Accreditation Webinar is posted on our website.
2020-2021 Webinar Series
The NCLHD Accreditation Program is offering a free monthly webinar series through June 2021. The next webinar will be held on February 18 from 10-11:30 a.m.
Lights, Camera, and Ready for Action: Learn about the Revised 10 Essential Public Health Services and Plans to Roll out the Revised HDSAI Interpretation Document.
Revisions to the 10 essential public health services were released in September 2020. This webinar will provide an overview of the revisions along with an explanation of how these essential services map to the activities in the Health Department Self-Assessment Instrument. Additionally, this webinar will provide an update on the revised plans for rolling out the changes to the HDSAI Interpretation document. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.
See the “Key Dates” section of these Highlights for the full listing of upcoming webinars.
Accreditation in Action
Training Update – Accreditation 101: New AAC Training and the Bi-Annual Dashboard Webinars
Due to COVID-19, we are continuing to offer the New AAC Training online for 2021. The New AAC training provides a basic overview of the accreditation process and the role of the AAC. The training is for new AACs, co-AACs and backup AACs. The Bi-Annual Dashboard webinar is now a prerequisite for the New AAC Training.
The Bi-Annual Dashboard webinar is open to any local health department staff that use the NCLHDA Dashboard. The webinar provides an overview of using the NCLHDA Dashboard for evidence submission and review for all users. The webinar covers the main functions used in the dashboard for the NCLHD Accreditation Program.
We are offering the Bi-Annual Dashboard webinar in the morning before the New AAC Training so that participants have the option to attend both trainings on the same day. There is no cost to attend either of these trainings; however, registration is required. The dates that registration will open for each training are listed below.
April 27
Bi-Annual Dashboard Training 9—10:30 a.m.
Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training 12:30—5 p.m.
Registration for both trainings will open on March 1
October 5
Bi-Annual Dashboard Training 9—10:30 a.m.
Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training 12:30—5 p.m.
Registration for both trainings will open on September 1
May 5, 2020 Board Minutes Posted
The minutes from the May 5, 2020 NCLHD Accreditation Board meeting are now posted.
Key Dates
February 18 from 10 –11:30 a.m., Lights, Camera, and Ready for Action: Learn about the Revised 10 Essential Public Health Services and Plans to Roll out the Revised HDSAI Interpretation Document. Webinar. Revisions to the 10 essential public health services were released in September 2020. This webinar will provide an overview of the revisions along with an explanation of how these essential services map to the activities in the Health Department Self-Assessment Instrument. Additionally, this webinar will provide an update on the revised plans for rolling out the changes to the HDSAI Interpretation document. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.
February 19 from 9:30—10 a.m. NCLHDA Board meeting. The meeting will be held via Zoom. The Zoom link for the meeting is the following: https://uncsph.zoom.us/j/95404582211?pwd=b2xaMUZ1Y3hxL1RiQWV0Y3U0L3JFZz09. The link is passcode protected. Please contact the NCLHD Accreditation program at NCLHDaccreditation@unc.edu by 5 p.m. on February 18 for the passcode.
March 18 from 10—11:30 a.m., Accreditation: Behind the Scenes. Webinar. Accreditation is a team effort. Not just locally – it takes a team to administer the program from the state’s program level as well. Learn who is “behind the scenes” of the accreditation program at the North Carolina Institute for Public Health. From paying the bills, to organizing site visits, to ensuring our annual report is something people will actually want to view, meet the team whose faces you don’t typically get to see, but whose work is critical to the success of the program. Participants will be able to ask questions during the webinar and will be able to submit questions ahead of time.
We will also be releasing the results of the Driving the Future Report specific to accreditation team members. Learn what the greatest training needs identified by local accreditation teams are and how the accreditation program is planning to meet those needs.
There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.
April 22 from 11 a.m.—12:30 p.m. Action: Strategically Moving Forward. Webinar.
The Accreditation Program has undertaken an in-depth strategic planning process with feedback from national accrediting organizations, professionals from other states, NCLHD Accreditation Board Members, and many of you from across North Carolina at both the state and local levels. The information gathered has informed a strategic direction for the NCLHD Accreditation Program. Learn the 2021-2025 goals for the NCLHD Accreditation Program and how they will benefit local health departments.
Along with the strategic plan, we will also release the revised HDSAI Interpretation Document. Learn about the revisions and the plan for implementing the changes. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.
April 27 from 9—10:30 a.m. Bi-Annual Dashboard Webinar. The Bi-Annual Dashboard webinar provides and overview of using the NCLHDA Dashboard for evidence submission and review for all dashboard users. The webinar covers the main functions used in the dashboard for the NCLHD Accreditation Program. There is no cost to attend, however, registration is required. Registration will open on March 1.
April 27 from 12:30—5 p.m. Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training. Webinar. The New AAC training provides a basic overview of the accreditation process and the role of the AAC. The training is for new AACs, co-AACs and backup AACs. The Bi-Annual Dashboard webinar is now a prerequisite for the New AAC Training. There is no cost to attend, however, registration is required. Registration will open on March 1.
May 20 from 10—11:30 a.m., Reading the Script and Learning the Lines: A Deep Dive into the HDSAI Interpretation Document Revisions. Webinar. Actors tend to rely on “through lines” to learn their lines; they focus on learning the intent behind the words to help them remember. This webinar will go through the revisions that were made to the HDSAI Interpretation document. We will share the intent behind the revisions and how to use the new features to better understand the requirements and to increase efficiency in submitting evidence. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.
June 17 from 10—11:30 a.m., Audience Participation: Engaging health department staff and partners in Accreditation. Webinar. We will be releasing the new Why Accreditation Matters communication campaign. The webinar will go through all of the resources that are available to support accreditation among local health department staff, local, state and regional leaders and community members. We will also be unveiling the revisions to the NCLHD Accreditation training webpage and a new on-demand training on the HDSAI Interpretation document revisions. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.
Tips and Tricks for Accreditation Success: Stories from the Field
Supporting Current Efforts and Meeting Requirements: The Accreditation Origin Story
The Surry County Health and Nutrition Center is planning to use staff attendance at the Accreditation Origin Story webinar provided by the NCLHDA Program as evidence for meeting Activity 16.1. The webinar, presented by Dr. Jill Moore, Associate Professor of Public Law and Government, UNC School of Government and Virginia Niehaus, Director of Regulatory and Legal Affairs, at the N.C. Division of Public Health, provides a detailed explanation of the regulatory requirements of the NCLHD Accreditation Program. It provided a step-by-step explanation of aspects of the program that are under legislative control and those that are under programmatic control. According to Emily Mayes, AAC, “using this webinar shows how we are training staff to better understand the legal requirements of the Accreditation Program. The webinar is also helpful for getting leadership ready for the upcoming changes of the HDSAI Interpretation Document Revisions.”
The webinar recording is posted on the NCLHDA Website.
Note: The NCLHD Accreditation Program does not have the authority to determine what evidence meets the requirements of an activity. However, the program can share examples of what local health departments are submitting as evidence.
For more information Contact Emily Mayes, AAC, Surry County Health and Nutrition Center at mayesem@co.surry.nc.us