Snow Hill, MD- The Worcester County Health Department has successfully maintained national accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) for 10 years.
PHAB is a nonprofit that works to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure, and innovation. In maintaining its accreditation status, the Worcester County Health Department has demonstrated that it meets PHAB’s quality standards and measures and continues to evolve, improve, and advance, thereby becoming increasingly effective at improving the health of the residents of Worcester County.
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 more than 3,000 governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance.
“We are so pleased to be recognized again by PHAB for achieving national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement," said Rebecca Jones, Health Officer. “We hope this announcement reassures our community, our partner organizations, our funders, and our elected officials that the services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community. 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.”
The Worcester County Health Department achieved its initial national accreditation status through PHAB in December 2014, after undergoing a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure it met a set of quality standards and measures. Today’s announcement goes a step further by demonstrating that the Worcester County Health Department can become increasingly effective at improving the health of Worcester County.
“Whenever you see our seal of accreditation, you will know that the Worcester County Health Department has been rigorously examined and meets or exceeds national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health,” Jones 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.”
Often called the “backbone” of the public health system, public health departments are on the front lines of communities’ efforts to protect and promote health and prevent disease and injury. PHAB-accredited health departments demonstrate great leadership by placing their work for peer review, with the goal of using the feedback obtained during the process to improve the services they provide to their communities.
About the Worcester County Health Department
The Worcester County Health Department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Worcester County. Learn more about the Worcester County Health Department at worcesterhealth.org. For more information, please contact Public Information Officer, Elizabeth Jensen at
