Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH) today announced it has successfully completed a review process to maintain national accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). In maintaining its accreditation status for another five years, HCPH has demonstrated that it meets PHAB’s quality standards and measures and has the capacity to continue to evolve, improve and advance to continue improving the health of the residents of Hamilton County.
Public health accreditation is a rigorous, multi-year process that represents the measurement of health department performance against a set of nationally recognized, practice-focused and evidence-based standards; the issuance of recognition of achievement of accreditation within a specified time frame by a nationally recognized entity; and the continual development, revision, and distribution of public health standards.
“We are proud of the ‘accredited’ designation,” says Hamilton County Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman. “This recognizes the work this agency performs every day, as well as its ability to adapt and change based on community needs. While we’re certainly proud of this accomplishment, PHAB does not allow complacency, as the accreditation process is one of continuous quality improvement,” Kesterman adds.
HCPH was the first public health department in southwest Ohio to achieve accreditation. Often called the “backbone” of the public health system, public health departments are on the front lines of communities’ efforts to protect and promote health and prevent disease and injury. PHAB-accredited health departments demonstrate great leadership by placing their work for peer review, with the goal of using the feedback obtained during the process to improve the services they provide to their communities.
