Last week, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) granted Lane County Public Health initial accreditation status. To receive initial accreditation through PHAB, a health department must undergo a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure it meets or exceeds a set of public health quality standards and measures. Lane County Public Health has been working on this process for the last several years. 

"The value of becoming a PHAB-accredited health department extends far beyond the interior walls of the health department," said PHAB President and CEO Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN. "People living and working in the communities served by these health departments can be assured that their health department is strong and has the capacity to protect and promote their health. Just going through the accreditation process itself helps health departments pinpoint the areas that are critical to improving the work they do for their communities."

Lane County Public Health (LCPH) plays a critical role in protecting and improving the health of people in communities across Lane County by providing 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 health emergencies. New research and best practices are helping to make this task more efficient and effective, and accreditation is one way to insure LCPH is staying on track and up to speed.

"Public Health is proud to be recognized by PHAB for demonstrating the capacity to protect and promote the health of our community. The achievement of national accreditation will help guide our work to better protect, promote and preserve the health of the people in our community," said Jocelyn Warren, PhD, MPH, Lane County Public Health Division Manager.

National initial accreditation was awarded June 11, 2019 to:

• Champaign Health District, Urbana, Ohio
• Chester County Health Department, West Chester, Pennsylvania
• Coos Health & Wellness, Coos Bay, Oregon
• Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Parma, Ohio
• Goodhue County Health and Human Services, Red Wing, Minnesota
• Lane County Public Health, Eugene, Oregon
• Merced County Department of Public Health, Merced, California
• Montgomery County Health Department, Crawfordsville, Indiana
• Portage County Combined General Health District, Ravenna, Ohio
• Portage County Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
• Wedco District Health Department, Cynthiana, Kentucky

About the Public Health Accreditation Board
The Public Health Accreditation Board 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, state, local, Tribal, and territorial levels. Learn more about PHAB and accreditation at www.phaboard.org.