ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Health Department was one of 10 recently accredited by the North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation Board — and one of seven to receive honors.
According to a press release from the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, the honorary designation was first implemented in 2017 “to recognize agencies that especially excelled in their accreditation assessment by missing one or less activities within each of five standards set by the NCLHDA Program.”
According to the recommendation of the site visit report, the Richmond County Health Department met all 147 activities in the following categories: assessment; policy development; assurance; facilities and administrative services; and Board of Health/governance.
The other six departments to receive honors were those in Alamance, Halifax, Surrey, Swain, Wake and Warren counties.
“The program is especially pleased to see that this special recognition was achieved by such a diverse group of local health departments,” reads a press release.
The other three departments to receive accreditation were those in Edgecombe, Nash and Polk counties.
“Congratulations to each health department who has newly completed an accreditation cycle,” Margaret Benson Nemitz, N.C. Local Health Department Accreditation administrator, said in a press release.
“Accreditation is a quality improvement process to assure that core public health services are provided in all North Carolina counties and add value in local communities,” Nemitz continued. “The accreditation process requires teamwork and dedication from health department staff, Boards of Health members, peer site visitors, and Accreditation Board members, all working together to identify, clarify, verify, and amplify the quality work taking place across our state. Each of these agencies has demonstrated their ability to maintain and/or exceed the thorough standards established by the NCLHDA Program. Well done!”
North Carolina started mandating accreditation for local health departments in 2005 — the first state to do so.
The accreditation process includes three main components:
The accreditation program is administered by the North Carolina Institute for Public Health through collaboration with the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors.
A plaque was presented Tuesday at the monthly meeting of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.
