New Releases 
Farewell Amy
After 7 years of leading the NCLHDA Program with innovation, clarity, consistency, and joy, Amy is moving on to pursue new professional adventures with our friends over at the Public Health Accreditation Board. We are grateful for the many ways that Amy has set up the NCLHDA program to be more sustainable, and we are excited to be able to continue partnering with her in her new role at PHAB. Her absence will certainly be felt by us all! As we work to fill her Accreditation Administrator shoes, our NCLHDA team, including Margaret, Faith, and our wonderful Board, are well positioned to continue administering and advancing the NCLHDA program.
Especially given staff transitions, now more than ever, please direct all of your accreditation related emails to our shared account at NCLHDaccreditation@unc.edu.
Fruitful Feedback Requested:
2023 Annual Survey Live!
We invite you to give fruitful feedback through the 2023 Accreditation Annual Survey so our program can learn from you. The purpose of the survey is to understand:
- Local health departments’ experience with accreditation
- Ways that the NCLHDA program can continue to add value to the accreditation process
We ask all health departments to complete this survey regardless of whether or not your agency has been accredited during the previous year. All staff who are directly involved with the local health department accreditation process (Health Director, Agency Accreditation Coordinators and others with Accreditation responsibilities) are encouraged to complete the survey to ensure that a variety of perspectives are represented. Please share the information attached with your Accreditation Team Members and ask them to complete the survey. All responses are anonymous!
The survey will be open from May 1 – May 19, 2023. Visit go.unc.edu/NCLHDA2023 to take the survey.
Public Comment Coming Soon
From May 15 to May 31, we will share a public comment form for the proposed standards and activities that were shared on the April 4 webinar. You can visit the How to Get Involved section of our webpage for resources, webinar recording, and updates on the public comment period.
Updated Program Letter List Available
Our website has been updated with the 2023-2024 program letter list that Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 site visit cycles will use. You can access the updated document in the Health Department Site Visit Preparation Materials online.
Accreditation in Action
Regional Workshops Underway!
We are in the middle of our regional workshops this week, and we are so energized by seeing regional workgroups come together and brainstorm how to support one another! We are excited to wrap up the week in Greenville tomorrow, and we’ll be sure to share some takeaways in next month’s highlights.
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!
Public Health Improvement Training,
June 5-7
It’s not too late to register for the Public Health Improvement Training 2023 virtual event from June 5-7, 2023! This year’s theme is Strengthening Performance through Partnership and Innovation, and topics center around accreditation, health equity, and quality improvement. Please do note that this event does include a registration fee, with the standard rate of $149 for the three days Virtual PHIT 2023.
Key Dates
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
Highlights from Fall 2022 Site Visits
The Site Visit Team identified many Best Practices in Fall 2022. Over the past few months, we have been 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 related to staff recruitment and retention:
Highlight 1, Activity 24.2: The Site Visit Team identified Henderson County Department of Public Health’s COVID response debriefing for public health staff as a best practice. The management of the department realized the need to provide staff with the opportunity to discuss the impacts that COVID has had and hired a consultant to engage staff in this process.
Highlight 2, Activity 26.2: The Site Visit Team identified Pender County Health Department’s increase in the starting salary of nurses as a best practice for recruitment and retention. The health director worked closely with the governing body to offer salaries that were competitive with those offered by larger surrounding counties.
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.