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Strategic Direction

The NCLHD Accreditation Board began a strategic planning process in Fall 2020. In April 2021, the NCLHD Accreditation Board approved NCLHDA’s Strategic Roadmap, outlining the programs mission, vision, values, and priorities for the next four years (July 2021-June 2025). In August 2021, in alignment with the Strategic Roadmap, the NCLHDA Program released the Strategic Work Plan. The Work Plan outlines four-year measures to track progress on priorities and goals, as well as a detailed one-year plan to transparently communicate how the program is working towards each priority and goal. In June 2022, the NCLHD Accreditation Board reviewed Q4 Updates to the workplan and a Year 2 Strategic Overview to outline the continued work in 2022-2023. In 2023-2024, strategic efforts specifically focused on continuing with the Phase 3 Accreditation Transformation efforts in partnership with the Standards Workgroup, Health Directors Accreditation Working Group, and Board.

The 2021-2022 Strategic Work Plan was updated quarterly to track updates and progress on activities:

Our Mission: Support North Carolina Local Health Departments in innovating and advancing public health through accreditation.

Our Vision: All North Carolina Local Health Departments utilize the accreditation process to continually build their capacity to equitably respond to the unique health needs of their communities.

Core Values and Practices:

Quality:  We view accreditation as a dynamic learning process, and we continually assess and revise our program to improve over time.
Partnership:  We engage with partners to share perspectives, effectively leverage our resources and maximize our collective impact.
Equity:  We work with partners to advance and improve system-level changes to promote and enhance diversity, equity and inclusion for all.
Adaptability:  We respond to changes in the field, balancing clarity, flexibility and consistency.
Reliability:  We provide reliable leadership, expectations and resources.
Transparency:  We communicate clearly and openly share program information and decisions.
Efficiency:  We streamline efforts to maximize impact and reduce duplication.

Strategic Priorities 

  1. Evolve NCLHDA standards, benchmarks and activities as state strategy and local capability progresses.
  2. Streamline the NCLHDA program for efficiency, interoperability and relevancy.
  3. Build quality improvement into the NCLHDA program structure.
  4. Lead efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion through the accreditation program.
  5. Intentionally engage partners, including but not limited to Health Directors, Boards of Health, County Commissioners, DPH, Commission for Public Health and State Legislature, in NCLHDA program impacts and accomplishments to support the capacity of the public health system overall.

Equity in Accreditation

In Summer 2022, NCLHDA received NACCHO Statewide Association Training/Technical Assistance Support to explore the program’s role in supporting health equity. This project was aligned with the program’s strategic priority #4 and the core value of equity.

NCLHDA staff conducted five health department focus groups to explore how health departments engage in equity work and how they see their work overlapping with the Accreditation Program. Findings from these discussions can be found in Equity in Accreditation: Summary of Discussions

NCLHDA staff also completed an internal Equity Audit with Awa by Beloved. During this process, staff met to assess diversity, equity, and inclusion criteria across program audiences.

The focus group discussions and internal Equity Audit findings inform the Program’s Equity Action Items for FY 2022-2023. Action items are organized into four operational categories and address internal operations, program policy, and program support.

2021-2022 Workplan

The 2021-2021 Strategic Work Plan was updated quarterly to track updates and progress on activities: