Lincoln County Health Department (LCHD) has been awarded $15,000 to support its progress in meeting the requirements of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), the first and only voluntary national accreditation program for public health departments. LCHD is one of 10 local health departments from 10 states to receive this funding through the Accreditation Support Initiative (ASI). A total of 101 local health departments of all sizes and types, ranging from rural to urban applied for funding.
Now in its fourth year, the ASI was created in 2011 to promote national accreditation readiness among a greater number of local health departments and support their varying needs to reach accreditation. Funding for the ASI is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CDC) and administered by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).
“Quality improvement is one of the most important investments a local health department can make – always seeking ways to do things better, more efficiently, with just the right amount of resources, and with a greater impact,” said NACCHO Executive Director Robert M. Pestronk. “As a participant in this initiative LCHD is taking a big step to ensure better health for the people all of Lincoln County.”
LCHD received funding under the general category of Workforce Development. The department will use the grant to assess the availability of health care services, identify populations that face barriers to health care services, develop strategies that improve access, and implement strategies, including culturally competent initiatives, to increase access.
“We are grateful to have received the Accreditation Support Initiative funding from the CDC and NACCHO because I believe the funds will help us improve our performance, achieve our strategic goals, and continue making progress to build better health outcomes for the people in our community,” states Shelley Hersil, Health Officer/Director, Lincoln County Health Department.