Health Department earns accreditation

Madison County Health Department has been awarded 2017-2018 Accreditation Support Initiative (ASI) funding. This award is provided to select health departments by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

Now in its seventh year, ASI funding is a competitive, oneyear financial award intended to stimulate quality improvement and promote the readi- ness of health departments to achieve voluntary national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). This accreditation measures health department performance against a set of nationally recognized standards. The goal of voluntary national accreditation is to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing the quality and performance of public health departments.

Health departments may use

their award to work on any accreditation readiness project of their choosing. Madison County Health Department will be using its ASI award to develop performance management and workforce development plans to support and improve performance. The Madison County Health Department is one of 24 local health departments from 13 states to receive this funding through the Accreditation Support Initiative (ASI). More information can be found atwww.naccho.org/asi.

Health departments that are accredited report that accreditation 1) increases competitiveness for funding opportunities, 2) stimulates quality and performance improvement opportunities, 3) allows health departments to better identify their strengths and weaknesses, 4) improves management processes, and 5) stimulates greater accountability and transparency within the health department.

“Through a series of workshops, trainings, and planning, we will develop and implement a performance management system to consistently, effectively, and efficiently work to meet residents’ needs while meeting organizational goals and increase our readiness for accreditation,” said Eric Faisst, Public Health Director of Madison County Health Department.