National Voluntary Accreditation for Public Health Departments

Benefits & Impacts of Accreditation

Many public service and health-related entities—such as hospitals, schools, and universities—have accreditation programs. Until recently, there was no national accreditation program for public health departments. Since September 2011, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) has recognized health departments that meet national standards that ensure they provide essential public health services in their communities.

Health departments report* that accreditation helps them

• Better identify their strengths and weaknesses
• Document their capacity to deliver the core functions and 10 Essential Public Health Services
• Promote transparency
• Improve their management processes
• Stimulate quality improvement and performance management
• Increase their accountability to community members, stakeholders, and policymakers
• Improve their communication with the governing entity/board of health
• Be more competitive in funding opportunities

 * From PHAB annual evaluation data, 2017