HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 12-06-2004-6bORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: December 6, 2004
SUBJECT: Resolution S
Accreditation for Local Health
Action Agenda
Item No.
rtments
DEPARTMENT: Health
PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Resolution Commissioner Moses Garet', ext 2300
Rosemary Summers, ext 2411
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough 732-8181
Chapel Hill 968-4501
Durham 688-7331
Mebane 336-227-2031
PURPOSE: To consider adopting a resolution of support far promoting health department
accreditation in North Carolina,
BACKGROUND: The NG Association of Local Health Directors (NCALHD) has been studying
the matter of accreditation of local health departments for more than six years. In 2003, the
NCALHD and the State Health Director appointed a committee to make recommendations in
this regard. Orange County Health Director Dr. Rosemary Summers was the co-chair of this
NCALHD committee that recommended an accreditation process, structure and a framework for
further work on specific standards,
In 2004, the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
appointed a Public Health Task Force to study public health in North Carolina and to devise an
action plan to strengthen public health infrastructure, improve health outcomes, and eliminate
health disparities. Membership on the Public Health Task Force was broad and inclusive -
legislators, community leaders, public health professionals from state agencies and universities,
local health directors, other healthcare providers, and representatives from minority
communities, Commissioner Moses Carey was appointed as a member of the Task Farce.
One of the six subcommittees of this task force was charged with further development of the
accreditation recommendations formulated by the NCALHD Committee the previous year. The
final Public Health Task Force Report is available from the Health Department for review,
Part of the Public Health Task Force report that has been reviewed by the Board of Health calls
for an accreditation process that would assess the capacity of local health departments to
deliver the ten essential services of public health, The Task Force Report also calls for State
funding to assist counties engaging in the accreditation process, In the spring of 2004, six
diverse local health departments (Alleghany-Ashe-Watauga District Health Department,
Buncombe, Cabarrus, Chatham, Dare, and New Hanover) undertook a pilot accreditation
process and were successfully accredited. The State assigned regional consultants to assist
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the six counties in their endeavor, Ron Holdway and Rosemary Summers participated on two
different site visitor accrediting teams -- Mr. Holdway for Buncombe County and Dr. Summers
for New Hanover County, Generally, all six counties engaged in the pilot process report that the
initial process was valuable in establishing a quality assurance function within each department
that examined all programs and processes against the standards in the accreditation tool, The
NC Association of Local Health Directors and the NC Department of Health and Human
Services prepared a videotape summary of the experiences of the six pilot counties. This
videotape is available for review from the County's Health Department. As a result of the pilot,
the accreditation criteria and process have been revised and will be "re-piloted" with four
additional counties in the winter of 2004-2005,
The Orange County Board of Health believes that accreditation of local health departments is
an important step in recognizing the competence of public health departments and passed a
resoluticn favoring mandatory accreditation with ongoing State funding to each health
department beginning in the year of initial accreditation to support the accreditation process and
to ensure that quality assurance efforts continue beyond the accreditation year, This is the
recommendation contained in the final report of the Public Health Task Force.
The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners has expressed some concerns
regarding the mandatory accreditation provision of the Task Force Recommendations. The
attached resolution calls for the Orange County Board of Commissioners to support voluntary
accreditation and joins the Board of Health in recommending State appropriation of $50,000 per
year of ongoing funding to each local health department. Same counties' commissioners have
expressed concern that accreditation will cost too much in terms of potential upgrades needed
to meet accreditation standards, While some local health departments may need additional
resources in order to meet standards, the NCALHD believes that the majority will be able to
meet the proposed standards,
Examples of the benefits of accreditation include:
• Utilizes a publicly and professionally accepted mechanism for demonstrating the
competence of organizations ("seal of approval");
• Establishes a basic minimum level of uniformity in local ptablic health services;
• Provides a framework for quality assurance and quality improvement;
• Provides data for benchmarking and best practices;
• Serves as a tool for local decision-making, evaluation and monitoring;
• Serves as an index for allocating local resources;
• Demonstrates accountability to stakeholders;
• Enhances agency credibility among public and private partners;
Enhances agency image and improves community and consumer confidence; and
• Provides competitive advantage for procuring funding,
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None at this time. The resolution calls for the allocation of resources by
the State to engage in the accreditation process, The long-term financial implications of Orange
County participation in the process or the assessment of outcomes as a result of the process
cannot be determined with any reliability at this time. Any financial implications would have to
be evaluated and addressed as part of normal budget deliberations by the Board of
Commissioners.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board adopt the resolution and
have the County Clerk forward executed copies to the Secretary of the Department of Health
and Human Services and to the Orange County legislative delegation,
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Resolution Promoting Health Department Accreditation
In North Carolina
Whereas, the North Carolina Public Health Taslc Force 2004 was
established in mid-2003 to study public health in North Carolina and to
devise an action plan to strengthen public health infrastructure, improve
health outcomes, and eliminate health disparities; and
Whereas, the six committees of the Task Force reflect the Task Force's six
focus areas: accreditation of state and local health departments; public health
structure and organization; public health funding; workforce development
and training; improving public health planning, resources and health
outcomes; and quality improvement and accountability; and
Whereas, the North Carolina Public Health Task Force 2004
recommendations on accreditation are to establish state-level support for a
system of accreditation and to fund local health departments for the
accreditation process; and
Whereas, accreditation is a publicly and professionally accepted mechanism
for demonstrating the competence of organizations; and
Whereas, competent local public health departments are essential to the
protection of the public's health;
Now Therefore Be It Resolved that the Orange County Board of
Commissioners supports the statewide effort to accredit local health
departments on a voluntary basis provided that $50,000 per year of ongoing
State funding be provided to each health department to support accreditation
and continuous quality improvement.
This 6`~' day of December, 2004.
Barry .Jacobs, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners