 Pima County Health Department maintains national accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board
Pima County, Aug. 30, 2023 - The Pima County Health Department has successfully completed a review process to maintain national accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). In maintaining its accreditation for another five years, the Health Department has demonstrated that it meets PHAB’s quality standards and measures and has the capacity to continue to evolve, improve and advance to continue improving the health of all Pima County residents.
The Pima County Health Department is one of 364 health departments out of 1,865 nationally that have achieved accreditation through PHAB since the organization launched in 2011. Of the 134 health departments accredited in 2016 – the year the Pima County Health Department was accredited – 91 have been reaccredited.
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.
“We are very pleased to again be recognized by PHAB for achieving national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, Pima County Health Department director. “The accreditation process helps to ensure that the programs and services we provide are responsive to the needs of our community. With accreditation, the Health Department is demonstrating increased accountability and credibility to the public, funders, elected officials and partner organizations with whom we work.”
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.
“Whenever you see the seal of accreditation, you will know that the Pima County Health Department has been rigorously examined and meets or exceeds national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health,” said Dr. Francisco García, deputy county administrator and the County’s chief medical officer. “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.
“Accreditation demonstrates a health department’s commitment to excellence and their unwavering dedication to improving the health of our communities,” said PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert. “It not only recognizes the hard work and perseverance of our public health professionals but ensures that health departments have the needed infrastructure, resources, and systems needed to function efficiently and deliver high quality public health services.”
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 governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance.
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