Accreditation and QI, North Carolina

In 2002, the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors initiated efforts to design a local health department accreditation system.

The Public Health Task Force Accreditation Committee developed a complete set of accreditation standards—based on the Core Functions and Ten Essential Public Health Services—and conducted two pilot studies of 10 health departments. In 2005, the North Carolina legislature established a program requiring that all 85 local health departments be accredited by 2014.

In addition, North Carolina participates in the Multi-State Learning Collaborative (MLC) project, which assesses quality improvement strategies to enhance the work of public health departments.

Tools and Resources

The North Carolina Accreditation "road map" is a tool to assist states that are considering establishing an accreditation program for local health departments. It is also useful for individual local health departments considering accreditation.
Obtain a copy of the accreditation self assessment instrument that Gaston County Health Department designed.
Visit the North Carolina local health department accreditation program Web site.

Case Examples

Read about North Carolina's use of the Operational Definition in its accreditation efforts.

Programs

Learn about North Carolina's local health department accreditation program in a fact sheet highlighting its MLC efforts.