KDHE

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced today that it has achieved national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). The national accreditation program works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing and ultimately transforming the quality and performance of the nation’s state, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments. KDHE is one of fewer than 200 health departments that have thus far achieved accreditation through PHAB since the organization launched in 2011. However, hundreds of health departments across the country are preparing to seek accreditation through PHAB, the non-profit organization that administers the national public health accreditation program.

“We are pleased and excited to be recognized for achieving these national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement,” said KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer Susan Mosier, MD, MBA, FACS. “The accreditation process helps to ensure that the programs and services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community. With accreditation, KDHE is demonstrating increased accountability and credibility to the public, elected officials and the many partner organizations with which we work.”

The national accreditation program, jointly supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sets standards against which the nation’s nearly 3,000 governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance. To receive accreditation, a health department must undergo a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer reviewed assessment process to ensure it meets or exceeds a set of quality standards and measures.

“This accreditation represents that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has been rigorously examined and meets or exceeds national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health,” Dr. Mosier said. “By continuing to improve our services and performance, we can be sure we are meeting the public health needs of those we serve as effectively as possible.”

Public health departments play a critical role in protecting and improving the health of people and communities. In cities, towns, and states across the nation, health departments provide a range of services aimed at promoting healthy behaviors; preventing diseases and injuries; ensuring access to safe food, water, clean air, and life-saving immunizations; and preparing for and responding to public health emergencies.

“KDHE joins the growing ranks of accredited health departments in a strong commitment to their public health mission,” said PHAB President and CEO Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN. “The peer-review process provides valuable feedback to inform health departments of their strengths and areas for improvement, so that they can better protect and promote the health of the people they serve in their communities. Residents of a community served by a nationally accredited health department can be assured that their health department has demonstrated the capacity to protect and promote the health of that community.”

The national accreditation program was created collaboratively over a 10-year period by hundreds of public health practitioners working at the national, Tribal, state, and local levels. Since the program’s launch in September 2011, hundreds of public health departments have applied to PHAB for accreditation, and hundreds of public health practitioners from across the nation have been trained to serve as volunteer peer site visitors for the program.

“Achieving accreditation indicates that KDHE is dedicated to improving and protecting the health of the community by striving to continuously improve the quality of the services it delivers,” said Ray (Bud) Nicola, MD, MHSA, chair of PHAB’s Board of Directors and affiliate professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle. “Accreditation also promotes consistency in meeting standards. With an ever-increasing number of health departments now applying for and becoming accredited, you will be able to expect to receive the same quality of public health services wherever you go in the United States.”

About KDHE

KDHE consists of three divisions: Environment, Health Care Finance and Public Health. The Division of Environment has the following six bureaus that work toward Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments: Air, Environmental Field Services, Environmental Remediation, Health and Environmental Laboratories, Waste Management and Water. The Division of Health Care Finance includes Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology and Health Information Exchange, KanCare, Medicaid Program Integrity, Office of Inspector General, Projections and Informatics, and the State Employee Health Plan. The Division of Public Health has the following six bureaus that work to protect and improve the health of all Kansans: Community Health Systems, Disease Control and Prevention, Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics, Family Health, Health Promotion and Oral Health. There are two support bureaus – Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics and the Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratory – which provide information resource management and laboratory assistance to the other divisions and the general public. The Office of Vital Statistics, within the Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics is responsible for registering births, deaths, marriages and divorces and issuing those certificates. Learn more about KDHE at www.KDHEKS.gov.

About the Public Health Accreditation Board

The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), established in 2007, was created to serve as the national public health accrediting body, and is jointly funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The development of national public health accreditation has involved, and is supported by, public health leaders and practitioners from the national, Tribal, state, and local levels. Learn more about PHAB or sign up for the PHAB e-newsletter by visiting www.phaboard.org.