New Releases 
Register now for Regional Workshops!
Now that you have saved the date, our training calendar includes registration for upcoming May regional workshops! These workshops are free to attend; however, registration is required. We ask that you complete registration by Monday, April 24. Lunch will be provided, and we will work to make sure that each health department that is interested in attending has at least 1-2 registrants each at one of the workshops.
Review the Draft of Proposed Standards and Activities
Thank you to everyone who joined the April 4 webinar to review the proposed standards and activities for rules change. We have now posted the draft materials on a new How to Get Involved section of our webpage for everyone to review in advance of May’s public comment period, where we will be accepting feedback on these drafted standards and activities. A recording of the webinar will be added to this page in the coming weeks, and we will use this same link to post public comment updates in May.
Public Health Law Training Resources
During March office hours, participants discussed options for public health law and governmental public health training. The Introduction to Public Health in North Carolina Online Training Series includes five free online modules geared towards governmental public health practitioners. Module 4 in particular covers public health law training content, and can serve as an excellent resource to LHD staff: https://sph.unc.edu/nciph/nciph-catalog/nciph-intro-ph-in-nc/
New “Role of the Agency Accreditation Coordinator” On-Demand Training Available
You can now complete a 15-minute Role of the Agency Accreditation Coordinator module that introduces new AACs to the role, helps you get established within the program, and orients you to finding key resources on the website. You can also revisit the module at any time for a quick refresher as needed.
Accreditation in Action
March Board Meeting Recap
As we communicated to AACs following the March 24 Board meeting, the NCLHDA Board decided to maintain the two pilots from 2022-2023 site visits. For upcoming site visits, health departments will continue to be able to choose between partially remote site visits and fully in person site visits. Additionally, health departments will continue to have the option to choose between the standard and new HDSAI interpretation document options.
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!
Communicating Health Equity
The work of public health is based in collaboration in order to protect and promote the health of everyone, everywhere. While health equity has become a buzz word, in many ways, it is something our field does at its core. Dr. Julie Sweetland from the FrameWorks Institute, a speaker at previous NCPHA conferences, has a recorded hour-long webinar Framing Health Equity: Communication Strategies that Work which includes helpful strategies to communicate around and elevate health equity issues in our field.
Key Dates
Monday, April 17: Bi-Annual NCLHDA Dashboard Overview Webinar, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Virtual. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.
Tuesday, April 18: Accreditation 101: New AAC Training, 10 am-3:00 pm
In Person in Chapel Hill, NC. There is a $25 cost to attend and registration is required.
Regional Workshop Events, 9:30-3:30
In Person. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required.
Friday, May 19: NCLHDA May 2023 Adjudication Board Meeting, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
Hybrid in Raleigh. Email NCLHDaccreditation@unc.edu for information to join.
Interested in exploring all upcoming events? Check out our Calendar page online!
Stories from the Field
Dental Clinic 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. This month, we’re sharing some highlights from Activity 22.3 that spotlight innovation in dental clinics:
Highlight 1, Activity 22.3: The Site Visit Team identified Pender County Health Department’s comprehensive services of the dental clinic as a best practice. The provision of services for adults to include root canals and dentures is to be commended given the limited health care resources in the county.
Highlight 2, Activity 22.3: The Site Visit Team identified Carteret County Health Department’s Mobile Dental Clinic quantitative analysis performed by the dentists and a consultant as a unique monitoring oversight activity for a program not monitored by the NCDPH. The analysis resulted in a number of recommendations for quality improvement for the mobile dental clinic. The dental team reviewed each recommendation for implementation, including feasibility of implementation.
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.