New Releases 
Registration Open: Fall 2023 Training
Sign up now for our Bi-Annual NCLHDA Dashboard Overview Webinar on September 12 from 10 am – 12 noon (virtual webinar), followed by the Accreditation 101: New AAC Training on September 13 from 10 am – 3 pm in Winston-Salem, NC. As a reminder, the dashboard webinar is a prerequisite to New AAC training.
Office Hours Returning Soon!
With summer schedules, we’re taking a short break from office hours; however, we will have Fall Office Hour dates up on our website soon, so be sure to check out our website throughout the summer and stop by our “office” in the fall!
Accreditation in Action
A New Batch of Site Visitors
Last week, the NCLHDA trained 5 new site visitors, who will be shadowing site visits this fall. Site Visit Training is an involved process consisting of application/selection, 12 hours of live training, a handful of asynchronous trainings, paperwork, shadowing and feedback. We are very excited for this new batch of site visitors who are taking on this commitment in order to provide quality, consistent review to all of our health departments!
A Summer of Data!
While we hope everyone takes a chance to enjoy some summer rest and relaxation, the NCLHDA program is taking time this summer to dig into the valuable data that many of you across the state provided the program through this year’s annual survey and the recent public comment period on proposed revisions to standards and activities. We’re taking our time with this data, and we hope to have data summaries to share by the end of the summer.
Helpful Resources
Find Health Departments Like You!
At the Regional Workshops, participants expressed interest in connecting with health departments based on characteristics beyond just geography. We wanted to take this chance to share Interactive Maps on Organization and Governance of NC Human Services Agencies, a helpful resource maintained by UNC School of Government. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check this out to identify health departments that share your organizational and governance structures. You can then reach out to those agencies’ AACs using our AAC Contact List if you’re looking to create new connections!
Additional VMSG Training Offerings
Our partners at VMSG, the company that hosts the Accreditation Dashboard, are offering additional training opportunities to local health department staff as agencies begin to explore the dashboard in new ways. If you have already completed the Bi-Annual NCLHDA Dashboard Overview Webinar and you are looking for additional training to fully benefit from what VMSG has to offer, we encourage you to review VMSG’s Local Health Department Training Offerings and reach out to Fred Erickson (fred@kca-inc.com) and Andrea Schon (andrea@kca-inc.com) directly if you would like to set up additional training for your agency or region!
Disability Inclusion: Understanding Key Terms & Best Practice Guidelines for LHD Health Promotion Programs
A new blog post from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) defines key terms relevant to disability inclusion and outlines considerations for local health departments planning health promotion programming. Links to additional resources are provided.
Key Dates
Tuesday, September 12: Bi-Annual Dashboard Overview Webinar, 10 a.m.-12 noon
Virtual. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required. Register.
Wednesday, September 13: Accreditation 101: New AAC Training, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
In person. Winston-Salem. There is a $25 cost to attend, and registration is required. Register.
Interested in exploring all upcoming events? Check out our Calendar page online!
Stories from the Field
Highlights From Winter 2023 Site Visits
In the coming few months, we will continue to share some of the best practices we heard through the Winter 2023 site visit cycle. This month, we’re focusing on best practices within health promotion and understanding community needs (Benchmarks 10-11):
Highlight 1, Activity 10.1: The Site Visit Team identified the development of a coordinated opioid response to address the opioid crisis as a best practice at Davie County Health Department. The coordinated efforts include a community response team, community paramedic program, jail diversion program, child welfare services for substance involved families, naloxone distribution, and medication-assisted therapy treatment (MAT) for pregnant women.
Highlight 2, Activity 10.2: The Site Visit Team identified the health department’s planning and implementation of the AADE Diabetes Program as a best practice at Hoke County Health Department, which involves two fully trained staff members. Evaluation evidence indicated it was an excellent program which met the community`s needs.
Highlight 3, Activity 11.2: The Site Visit Team identified the Gateway Collaborative as a best practice at Orange County Health Department. The public health and social services departments jointly rent an apartment at the Gateway Village housing community to serve as a community resource center. In addition to these departments, the schools, law enforcement, and housing are members of the collaborative. The collaborative works with the residents to identify priority issues and garner resources for these priority areas.
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.