Public Health Accreditation is a voluntary national program developed to measure health department performance against an established set of nationally recognized, practice-focused, and evidenced-based standards. Overseen by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and jointly supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, PHAB modeled its accreditation requirements on the Ten Essential Public Health Services to ensure all applicants meet or exceed an established baseline of quality and service.

PHAB Accreditation Overview & 10 Essential Services Handout

The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department (TLCHD) is the leading institution tasked with safeguarding and improving the health and wellbeing of all Lucas County residents. The journey towards Public Health Accreditation requires the close inspection of our core programs, policies, and processes to ensure that they not only meet the rigorous standards set by PHAB, but that we continuously work to improve how we deliver Public Health to everyone who lives, learns, works, or plays in Lucas County.

While Public Health Accreditation is voluntary nationally, the state of Ohio is the first and currently only state to mandate all health departments reach an accredited status by July 2020. An accredited status awarded by PHAB lasts for 5 years and requires annual progress reports to ensure continuous program and process improvement. Towards the end of the 5 year span, a department must submit for re-accreditation to sustain its status.

Presently, 36.84% (42/114) of all Ohio health departments and a total of 268 health departments nationally have achieved Public Health Accreditation. See the map below for information on how many health department’s have been accredited per state.

The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department was awarded National Public Health Accreditation on 3-17-2020. We are among the first 3rd of all Ohio Health Departments to achieve this milestone.

National Accreditation Map 3-26-2020

The Public Health Accreditation Board is currently showcasing the benefits Public Health Accreditation brings to health departments and the communities they serve through the following two videos:

Accreditation Works! 

Reaping the Benefits of Accreditation Across the Nation

The accreditation assessment process provides valuable, measurable feedback to health departments on their strengths and areas for improvement.

For more information

Log on to: www.phaboard.org or contact [email protected]