Oct. 22, 2024 - Public Health awarded national reaccreditation status

The Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Public Health Branch has been awarded reaccreditation status by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) signifying that Public Health has demonstrated meeting national standards and measures in providing quality essential public health services, including:

• Assessing population health
• Investigating public health problems
• Informing and educating the public about public health issues
• Mobilizing community partners
• Creating policies and plans
• Enforcing public health laws and regulations
• Enabling equitable access
• Supporting and building a diverse and skilled workforce
• Maintaining a strong public health infrastructure
• Improving and evaluating services
• Advancing health equity across a diverse population.

This achievement is earned through a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process.

DHHS Public Health Director Sofia Pereira said she appreciates the commitment of staff to the community, their respective programs and the reaccreditation process.

"Our staff show up to work every day with a commitment to improving our community's health and wellbeing. This work is not easy-it requires high levels of training and compliance to ensure high quality delivery of services. Through accreditation, innovative programs like gun lockbox distribution and tobacco retail licensing were recognized as meeting national standards and measures. By achieving reaccreditation for another five years, PHAB acknowledges our branch's capacity to evolve, improve and advance the health of the people of Humboldt County," she said. "It's something our community can be very proud of."

A letter sent to Public Health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Mandy K. Cohen and Director of the CDC's National Center for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce Leslie Ann Dauphin Ph.D., commended Public Health for its "commitment to continuous improvement."

"Participation in the national accreditation program is a meaningful way to demonstrate accountability to national standards," the letter states. "Your reaccreditation lets your partners and community know that you have continued to strengthen and advance your performance since receiving initial accreditation."

Public Health was first accredited in 2016, becoming the first rural county in California to receive this distinction. Successfully completing the reaccreditation process demonstrates that DHHS Public Health is working closely with partner agencies and has the capacity to become increasingly effective at improving the health of the community.

Locally, Public Health includes the Nursing Division, Healthy Communities and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Division, the Division of Environmental Health, a Public Health Laboratory and several other programs such as Emergency Preparedness and Epidemiology. As required by PHAB, Public Health also works with community partners to complete a Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan and support the Live Well Humboldt initiative including the LiveWellHumboldt.org data dashboard. Together, these services help support equitable opportunities for health and wellness in the community.

As part of the reaccreditation process, Public Health staff successfully underwent review of more than 240 pages of narratives and an estimated 50 reports and examples, including more than 20 new or updated policies, to demonstrate compliance to 31 measures. Additionally, staff received high marks from reviewers after a one-day virtual site visit in May.

To learn more about the process and benefits related to public health accreditation, visit the PHAB website.

Public Health staff showcase their PHAB plaque, from left, Laboratory Director Pepper Stockton, Health Officer Dr. Candy Stockton, Epidemiologist Sebastian Garcia, Director of Nursing Megan Blanchard, Administrative Analyst II Jan Bramlett, Program Coordinator Marian Strong, Branch Director Sofia Pereira, Deputy Branch Director Lara Weiss, Director of Environmental Health Mario Kalson and Administrative Secretary Chris Ash.

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