Even though public health plays a critical role in the United States, there has not been a national accreditation program to confirm that public health departments are providing and constantly advancing the quality of services delivered to their communities, until now.1 Incorporated in 2007, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), developed a national accreditation program for health departments and launched the program on September 14, 2011.
Accreditation through PHAB provides a means for health departments to identify performance improvement opportunities, to improve management, develop leadership, and improve relationships with the community. The process is one that will challenge the health department to think about what business it does and how it does that business. It will encourage and stimulate quality and performance improvement in the health department. It will also stimulate greater accountability and transparency.2
TRAIN, the nation’s premier learning management network for professionals and volunteers who protect the public’s health, has developed a webinar series on accreditation. This three-part series focuses on topics such as:
Webinar 1
The first webinar hosted on November 15, 2011, Public Health Accreditation & Competency Based Learning: A Model Based on the TRAIN Learning Management System, is available in an on-demand format through TRAIN. For more information on the webinar, please review "TRAIN Accreditation Webinar Recording Now Available."
Webinar 2
The second webinar in this series was held on January 24, 2012. For more information on the second webinar, please review "The TRAIN Community Hosts Public Health Accreditation & Competency Based Learning: A Model Based on the TRAIN Learning Management System (Webinar 2)." Please note, no on-demand version of webinar 2 is available.
Webinar 3
The final webinar was held on March 20, 2012, Public Health Accreditation & Competency Based Learning: A Model Based on the TRAIN Learning Management System (Webinar 3), is available in an on-demand format through TRAIN. For more information on the webinar, please review "TRAIN Community Hosts Final Webinar in Series."
Using TRAIN for PHAB Accreditation
As more state, tribal, local, and territorial public health departments prepare documentation to apply for PHAB accreditation, TRAIN, the nation's premier learning management network designed for public health professionals, can be an invaluable resource. Learn five ways in which TRAIN can help your health department apply for accreditation.
1. Public Health Accreditation Board. "Accreditation: Why It's Important Now." Accessed January 5, 2012.
2. Public Health Accreditation Board. "What is Accreditation?" http://www.phaboard.org/accreditation-overview/what-is-accreditation/ Accessed January 5, 2012.