CALPHO HLT DPT QLTY

The areas of quality improvement (QI) and accreditation readiness (AR) are two intertwined movements of the ongoing evolution and improvement of public health practice in the United States. QI and AR are relevant to all local governmental public health departments, regardless of the intent to apply for voluntary accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) as we seek to create a culture of ongoing performance measurement and QI, and increase the use of evidence-based programming and decision making. Across states, local health departments (LHDs) are engaging in QI and preparing for accreditation with varied and sometimes limited support from state-level partners, often based on the state involvement in the D&I movements listed above. State-level partners include state health departments, public health institutes, state affiliates of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), schools of public health, and public health training centers. These partners implement system-level initiatives such as training, technical assistance, funding, learning community facilitation and other activities to help LHDs learn and implement QI methods and prepare for accreditation. However, research has not been done comparing these system-level D&I initiatives and investments to each other and understanding how these investments might lead to difference in QI maturity, QI activities and accreditation readiness throughout LHDs across states. Broadly, this project seeks to examine and compare the interactions and differences in LHD measures of AR and QI in three states, based on varying system-level D&I support initiatives and the resulting social/professional network of LHDs and state-level partners.