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Accreditation and Quality Improvement Demonstration Sites Project Round 1
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Berrien County Health Department, MI |
As one of 45 local public health departments in Michigan, the Berrien County Health Department (BCHD), located in the most southwest corner of the lower peninsula of Michigan, provides exceptional local health programs, services, and care for the approximately 162,000 citizens of Berrien County. The primary service areas include Clinical and Community Health Services (CCHS), Environmental Health Services (EHS), and Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Services (SATPS). Additionally, the Department provides community health planning, epidemiological support, and public health emergency preparedness services.
Using the NACCHO Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool for Accreditation Preparation, the Department identified Evaluate and Improve Programs as the one public health essential service to address for quality improvement. In order to address this need, the Management Team developed a strategic planning process intended to improve the Department's capacity for Evaluating and Improving Programs by setting goals and a plan to monitor progress. The process is described in the BCHD final report. |
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City of Manchester Department of Health, NH |
The City of Manchester Department of Health (MDH) is located in Hillsborough County in New Hampshire. As the largest urban center in northern New England, MDH serves a population of nearly 110,000. MDH utilized the NACCHO Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool for Accreditation Preparation, which lead to the development of a quality improvement project aimed at strengthening the Department's communication of public health needs and priorities with elected officials.
As a result of this project, the Department has developed a Monthly Bulletin to highlight Departmental activities and critical public health priorities for dissemination to the Mayor and Board of Alderman, the School Board, and the Board of Health. Additionally, completion of the Self-Assessment Tool has led to the identification of other Departmental Standards as areas for improvement, such as the formal development of a public health improvement plan. A sample of the Monthly Bulletin and additional information on the MDH project is available in the MDH final report. |
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Cuyahoga County District Board of Health, OH |
The Cuyahoga County District Board of Health (CCDBH) is the largest health department in Ohio serving more than 880,000 residents in 57 municipalities in northeast Ohio. Established in 1918, CCDBH has a long history of providing quality public health services to the region. CCDBH has also been developing and refining a team-based quality improvement model since 2005. Consequently, a team approach was taken to complete the Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool for Accreditation Preparation.
The tool was valuable in identifying strengths in the agency and identified an opportunity for improvement in Essential Service IX: Evaluate and Improve Programs. As a result, a multifaceted initiative to weave the concept of Quality Improvement (QI) into the work of all program staff was launched. This initiative included internal and external marketing components, training for a cross section of agency program staff, support staff and management, and timeline of activities leading up to national voluntary accreditation. More information about this initiative is available in the CCDBH final report. |
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Jefferson County Department of Health, AL |
| The Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) is located in Birmingham, Alabama and serves an urban-rural population mix within the county of 656,700. Using the NACCHO Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool for Accreditation Preparation and a quality improvement process, JCDH implemented an e-mail listserv to improve efficiency for internal communications as they prepare for accreditation and external communication within the local public health system. As a result, 217 subscribers joined the listserv, representing approximately 120 agencies and organizations, and now receive regular updates on progress with the community health improvement plan as well as exchange significant information with other subscribers on the listserv. Additional information about the listserv initiative is available in the JCDH final report. |
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Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, NE |
The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department is located in Lincoln, Nebraska and serves approximately 275,000 individuals in an urban and rural setting. A team of seven division managers along with the Health Director, Assistant Health Director, and two other staff from the Director's Office completed the Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool for Accreditation Preparation. The result included scoring of the 255 Operational Definition indicators, some implementation of quality improvement processes, and the identification of illustrative evidence.
A second outcome of the project was the development of a database to connect the Operational Definition indicators and illustrative evidence to the Department's existing databases and hard copy files. As a result of the demonstration project, the Department will proceed with pursuing national accreditation at the level. Detailed information on the project is available in the Lincoln-Lancaster final report. |
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Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department, KY |
The Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department (NKIDHD) serves four counties in northern Kentucky just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati with a population of more than 370,000 residents in a combination of urban, suburban and rural settings. NKIDHD, with guidance from NACCHO staff, developed a scoring and planning evaluation methodology for the "Operational Definition Indicator Development Matrix" prior to the development of the NACCHO Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool. The scoring scheme and format was from the National Public Health Performance Standards Version 2.0. The methodology followed the Assessment Protocol for Excellence in Public Health (APEXPH) Part I Organizational Capacity Assessment.
The major result of participating in the evaluation process was the development of a database that included approval for training and out-of-state travel, if required. This database combined and eliminated two paper forms by utilizing one online process. Those who tested the new database reported that it was easier to use and required less time than the previous approval process. Additional information on the database and its development is available in the NKIDHD final report. |
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Saginaw County Department of Public Health, MI |
| The Saginaw County Department of Public Health (SCDPH) serves Saginaw County, the tenth most populous county in the state of Michigan, which includes an urban and rural population of roughly 210,000 residents. Utilizing results from the NACCHO Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool, SCDPH chose to focus on improving capacity in Standard 1-C: "Conduct or contribute expertise to periodic community health assessments", under the Essential Service 1: "Monitor health status and understand health issues facing the community." For the purpose of the NACCHO Accreditation Preparation Demonstration Site grant, SCDPH chose a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) project that focused on conducting a staff training workshop and developing a future curriculum on assessment methods to increase appropriate knowledge of standards and processes for conducting a community health assessment. Results of the training and project are available in the SCDPH final report, as well as in a one-page storyboard outlining the SCDPH CQI process. |
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San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, TX |
| The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) is a City/County health agency serving a diverse metropolitan jurisdiction of nearly 1.5 million residents. Through the NACCHO Preparing for Accreditation and Quality Improvement Project, SAMHD conducted a departmental self assessment and implemented a quality improvement initiative. Findings of the self-assessment led SAMHD to develop its first departmental strategic plan and align it with the standards in the NACCHO Operational Definition of a Local Health Department—the same standards that are providing the framework for the standards in the national accreditation program. More information on the strategic plan is available in the SAMHD final report. |
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Wagoner County Health Department, OK |
Wagoner County is located in eastern Oklahoma. It is the second-fastest-growing county in the state with a population of 67,000 and the eleventh largest in population; consequently the Wagoner County Health Department is experiencing challenges that accompany rapid population expansion. The Wagoner County Health Department, with a workforce of 22, is struggling to keep up with the progress of the county and trying to define itself in this time of population expansion and budget cuts.
The NACCHO Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool for Accreditation Preparation and a quality improvement process were used to address communication issues that prevent the Department from being as effective as it would like. These issues seemed to stem from internal silos of divisions, probably as a result of growth within the Department and changes in procedures. As a result of improvement efforts, Wagoner County discovered that information is not always shared with those who need it, and they are taking steps to change this problem. Additional information on the communication enhancement project is available in the Wagoner County final report. |
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West Allis Health Department, WI |
| The West Allis Health Department serves a population of 65,000 residents in the City of West Allis and the Village of West Milwaukee, within the metropolitan region of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The department is engaged in a comprehensive quality improvement process to prepare for national accreditation by 2011. Using the NACCHO Local Health Department Self-Assessment Tool, the department identified areas of strengths and weaknesses in the agency's operations. After reviewing the assessment results, the department created a new strategic plan, with the necessary infrastructure, to be fully prepared to apply for accreditation by December 31, 2010. The assessment process and the development of a strategic plan have laid the foundation for quality improvement and accreditation preparation. The West Allis Board of Health is completely behind this effort and will be building this accreditation component into its annual goal setting process. More information on the strategic planning process is available in the West Allis final report. |
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