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NCLHD Accreditation Administration Team

The NCLHD Accreditation Administration Team is responsible for executing the NCLHD Accreditation process.

Accreditation Administrator

The Accreditation Administrator is tasked with overall coordination and administration of the NCLHD Accreditation Program. The role is housed within the North Carolina Institute for Public Health (NCIPH) where the Program is administered. For contact information, see the “Contact Us” page.

Responsibilities of the Accreditation Administrator:

  • Act as liaison with Public Health Accreditation Board, North Carolina (N.C.) Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Division of Public Health leadership, the N.C. General Assembly, the NCLHD Accreditation Board, National Association of County and City Health Officials, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, National Association of Local Boards of Health and various N.C. boards and associations.
  • Team leader for the Accreditation Program including staff support to the NCLHD Accreditation Board appointed by DHHS Secretary, Site Visit Teams and Site Administrators.
  • Lead Accreditation Program and assure process is consistent with state law and rules.
  • Design and conduct accreditation trainings for health departments, Site Visit Team and others.

Site Visit Coordinators

The Coordinator communicates with the Agency Accreditation Coordinator in the weeks leading up to the site visit to make sure all arrangements are made and will ensure the site visit goes smoothly.

Responsibilities of the Site Visit Coordinator:

  • Facilitate site visits and assure Site Visit Team recommendations are submitted to the NCLHD Accreditation Board.
  • Act as liaison with local health departments and the Site Visit Team.

Site Visit Team

The primary role of the Site Visit Team (SVT) is to verify the health department’s self-assessment in order to evaluate the health department’s degree of compliance with the Activities. Site Visit Team members serve as representatives of the NCLHD Accreditation Board.

Each Site Visit Team comprises four individuals with expertise or experience in local public health, including experience or expertise in environmental health, public health nursing, public health administration and policy development/governance.

Responsibilities of the Site Visit Team Members:

  • Prepare for and conduct site visits:
    • Review the Health Department Self-Assessment Instrument (HDSAI) and supporting documentation in accordance with the HDSAI Interpretation Document (pdf).
    • Visit the local health department facilities and inspect health department facilities as needed to satisfy activity requirements.
    • Interview local health department staff, Board of Health members (or governing board assuming the powers and duties assigned to Boards of Health in statute or administrative code) and other persons necessary to evaluate compliance with the Activities.
    • Create a Site Visit Report to document and summarize the information gathered through the site visit.
    • Make suggestions for quality improvement.
  • Attend the NCLHD Accreditation Board Meeting (Lead Site Visitor)
    • When the Site Visit Team Report is presented at the NCLHD Accreditation Board meeting, the Lead Site Visitor from the Site Visit Team will present the report and the recommendation for accreditation status.

Accreditation Board

The purpose of the NCLHD Accreditation Board is to contribute to the improvement of public health programs and services throughout N.C. by defining, endorsing and upholding standards of minimum performance for the state’s local health departments. The Board is the official entity that assigns accreditation status to a local health department participating in the health department accreditation process.

The NCLHD Accreditation Board is established within the North Carolina Institute for Public Health. The Board is composed of 17 members appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services as follows:

  • Four county commissioners recommended by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
  • Four members of a local board of health as recommended by the Association of North Carolina Boards of Health
  • Three local health directors, recommended by the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors
  • Three staff members from the Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Human Services, recommended by the State Health Director
  • Three at-large members, recommended by the Accreditation Administrator, with consultation of the NCLHD Accreditation Board Chair

Members serve four-year terms and may serve three terms.

Responsibilities of the Board:

  • Develop and review accreditation Standards.
    • The Commission for Public Health adopts rules regarding Standards.
  • Review the Site Visit Team Report.
  • Assign accreditation status to local health departments.
    • Conditional Accreditation status is available for up to two years
    • Accreditation is granted for four years.