NCLHDA Program Monthly Highlights January 2023 - NC Local Health Department Accreditation

New Releases

Happy New Year!

With the successful Fall 2022 site visit cycle under our belt, we welcome 2023 with excitement as we continue to adapt and evolve the NCLHD Accreditation Program to better meet the needs of and meaningfully assess local health departments across the state. We are thankful for the fabulous AACs across the state who manage the accreditation workload at your agencies and provide our program with valuable insight along the way. We are sending everyone fuel as we step into this new year together!

HDSAI 2023 Released!

The HDSAI Interpretation Document 2023 is very similar to the 2022 version, with just slight adjustments. As always, you can find the current HDSAI materials on our website under Accreditation Process > Health Department Self-Assessment Instrument (HDSAI), including a summary of changes that notes where changes were made between 2022 and 2023.

2023 Document Updates

In addition to updating the HDSAI with each new calendar year, the NCLHDA Board and staff review and update program materials. Check out the following updated materials in 2023:

Annual Update Webinar

Join us on Wednesday, January 25 from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. to review 2023 Program Updates, including a review of HDSAI Interpretation Document, policy, and process changes. The webinar is free and a recording will be made available, but registration is required. Register today!

Accreditation in Action

Investing in Regional Support

The NLCHDA Program is excited to share that we have received a third year of Statewide Training and Technical Assistance funding through NACCHO in order to invest in regional accreditation support. Through this funding, Accreditation Staff will be traveling to different regions in late Spring to bring regional workgroups together and facilitate an interactive, hands-on workshop. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months as we schedule our visits!

New to the Dashboard? Or Accreditation Overall? Hold your calendar!
Twice a year, the NCLHDA program holds Dashboard Overview Webinar and Accreditation 101: New AAC Training. The Dashboard Webinar will next be offered virtually on Monday, April 17 and the New AAC Training will take place in-person on Tuesday, April 18 in Chapel Hill – register today to save your seat!

Are you looking for dashboard support in the meantime? Check out the Spring 2022 Dashboard Overview Webinar recording and the newly updated, interactive Dashboard User Guide.

Equity Related Resources

As we communicate accreditation updates through monthly highlights, we also have an opportunity to share existing resources that can help support equity related accreditation activities, including accessible training opportunities. Please email us if you have resources you would like to share in this space!

Local and Regional Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE) Resources

GARE is a “national network of government working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all,” and their resources have been widely used by local health departments both in our state and beyond. Their Tools & Resources include many helpful resources specifically designed with local government in mind.

Key Dates

TODAY, January 4: Office Hours, 9:00-9:45 am
Virtual. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.

Wednesday, January 25: 2023 NCLHD Accreditation Program Update Webinar, 10:00-11:30 am
Virtual. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.

Interested in exploring all upcoming events? Check out our Calendar page online!

Stories from the Field

Community Engagement Highlights from Fall 2022 Site Visits

The Site Visit Team identified many Best Practices in Fall 2022. Over the next few months, we’ll be highlighting some of these best practices in advance of the annual Best Practices report that comes out at the end of each fiscal year.

Highlight 1, Activity 11.2: The Site Visit Team identified Carteret’s Sticker Shock program developed through the Coastal Coalition Substance Abuse Prevention (CCSAP) Community Team as a best practice for engaging the community in assessing, prioritizing and establishing desired outcomes for reducing underage age drinking and the purchase of juice look alike alcoholic beverages by those under 21 years old. The Site Visit Team found this was an innovative way to engage the community to address underage drinking of alcoholic beverages with the immediate desired outcomes of stickers being placed on the beverages by the students themselves and long-term outcome of decreasing the purchase of juice look alike alcoholic beverages by youth, thus decreasing underage drinking.

Highlight 2, Activity 15.1: The Site Visit Team found Buncombe County`s Strategic Plan and Community Health Assessment to be very comprehensive, utilizing the CHIP process and developed based on their values of respect, honesty, integrity, collaboration, and equity. The Community Health Assessment engaged more than 50 partners to include a large physician network, MAHEC and 18 counties, followed results-based accountability and `smart shot` for reporting progress. Additionally, the Site Visit Team identified the department`s approach to equity to be very specific beginning with a very thorough definition of equity. Efforts to reach populations that were considered historically marginalized, low income and rural during COVID vaccine distribution resulted in higher proportions of the Latinx population receiving vaccines as compared to the non-Hispanic population. Similar outreach efforts to provide Monkey Pox vaccines are currently underway.

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.