New Releases 
Twelve-Month Accreditation Extension Granted
Pursuant to Section 3 (C) (1) of Executive Order 193, dated February 9, 2021, and the sub-delegation of authority granted by the NCDHHS Secretary, dated February 12, 2021, the NCLHD Accreditation Board voted to waive accreditation scheduling requirements for an additional twelve (12) months (the first being May 9, 2020 through May 8, 2021), effective May 9, 2021. This effectively grants all fully accredited health departments in North Carolina an additional accreditation extension of twelve (12) months. In addition, the Board voted to modify enforcement of the community health assessment requirements in alignment with variances allowed and given by the N.C. Division of Public Health during this State of Emergency or within sixty (60) days following the end of this State of Emergency.
Like with the 2020 HDSAI Interpretation Document development in response to the first extension, a revised 2020-2021 HDSAI Interpretation Document will be developed and released after approval by the Board on April 9, 2021. It is anticipated that changes made in 2020 will be carried over for calendar year 2021. Changes to the 2020-2021 HDSAI Interpretation and implications will be discussed during the April 22, 2021 monthly webinar (see below for details).
Release of the 2022 HDSAI Interpretation Document Revisions – April 22, 2021
The revised HDSAI will be released on April 22 but 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. The document will be officially released during the April 22 monthly webinar (from 10-11:30 a.m.). During the webinar we will also provide an update about the 2020-2021 Retrospective HDSAI Interpretation document. There is no fee to attend the webinar, but registration is required. Register
We will be holding additional trainings on the HDSAI revisions in the spring (see the Key Dates section of these Highlights for the full list of upcoming webinars).
2020-2021 Webinar Series
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 our 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
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 – Registration Now Open
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 and 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.
April 27
- Bi-Annual Dashboard Training 9—10:30 a.m. Register
- Accreditation 101: New Agency Accreditation Coordinator Training 12:30—5 p.m. Register
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 October 5th trainings will open on September 1st
NCLHD Accreditation Board Meeting Minutes
The meeting minutes from the January 29, 2021 and the February 19, 2021 Board Meetings are now posted on our website.
Key Dates
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 9 from 9 a.m. – 1p.m. NCLHD Accreditation Board Meeting. Zoom. The link to join the meeting is https://uncsph.zoom.us/j/92757738985. The link is passcode protected. Please contact the NCLHDA Program at NCLHDaccreditation@unc.edu by 5 p.m. on April 8 for the passcode.
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 that will go into effect on January 1, 2022 and will provide an update about the 2020-2021 Retrospective HDSAI Interpretation document. 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. Register
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. Register
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
Wilson County Health Department – Policy Update Log
The Wilson County Health Department uses a `Policy Update Log` for each policy that identifies review dates, revision dates and content that was revised in a table format that is easy to follow.
For more information contact: Narshira Vann at nvann@wilson-co.com