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Indiana State Department of Health's Accreditation

 


State Health Assessment & Improvement Plan

The Indiana State Department of Health worked with several agencies and organizations throughout 2017 and 2018 to develop of the Indiana State Health Assessment and Improvement Plan (IN-SHA/SHIP).  In conjunction with partners from across the state, ISDH gathered epidemiological data and key informant interviews to paint a picture of the health of Indiana’s residents.  This data informed the development of the State Health Improvement Plan, which provides strategies and objectives for improving Indiana’s health over the next three-and-a-half years.

View the plan here: 2018 Indiana State Health Assessment and Improvement Plan

Interested in learning more?  Email OPHPM@isdh.IN.gov

About State Health Department Accreditation

National voluntary public health accreditation provides a benchmark to measure how well governmental public health departments are providing the 10 Essential Public Health Services.  Accreditation promotes high performance and continuous quality improvement, illustrates accountability to the public and policy makers, and clarifies the expectation of health departments.  In addition accreditation provides a high framework for health departments to identify performance improvement opportunities, develop leadership, and improve relationships with the community.  The process is managed by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).  The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is working toward becoming an accredited health department and encourages local health departments in Indiana to explore the potential benefits of accreditation.

Where is Indiana in the process?

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is excited to announce the submission of over 350 documents to PHAB on June 28, 2019.  ISDH is hopeful to have a site visit by January 2020.  During this period ISDH will work closely with PHAB and their reviewers to answer any questions and supply any additional documents that is requested.

Indiana's Process for Accreditation

ISDH hired an accreditation coordinator in 2015 to help drive the accreditation journey.  Time was taken to learn about the accreditation process and purpose, and providing that knowledge to the staff to lay the foundation of the work needed to be successful.  In 2016 a team of individuals was brought together to do an overview and large gap analysis.  This team of 14 individuals started what is known as the A-Team

Over the next 18 months the agency worked on closing some of those gaps and developing the required documentation needed for application submission.  In February of 2018 the A-Team expanded and developed "Domain Teams".  These teams are led by individuals who originally start the accreditation team and are part of now is considered the "Core Team".  Domain teams met an average of once a month to review the standards and measures and identify needed documentation.  In the fall of 2018 the A-Team expanded once more to develop the "Review Team".  This group of individuals reviewed documents for accuracy and clarity, assessing for items such as spelling errors, clear descriptions, correct labeling in coversheets, and completeness of the example. 

Example Documentation

The following ISDH document examples have not yet been reviewed by PHAB and ISDH cannot guarantee the examples will fully meet all the requirements of their corresponding measure.  Examples were created under Standards and Measures 1.5.  For more information on areas of strengths and weaknesses within the examples please contact the ISDH Accreditation Coordinator, Patricia Truelove, at PTruelove1@isdh.IN.gov.

State Plans

Agency Plans

Other

Resources

Public Health Accreditation Board

Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is the non-for-profit entity responsible for granting voluntary public health accreditation.  PHAB provides many resources to assist in accreditation readiness.

ASTHO

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing public health agencies in the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia, and over 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, formulate and influence sound public health policy and ensure excellence in state-based public health practice. ASTHO's primary function is to track, evaluate, and advise members on the impact and formation of public or private health policy which may affect them and to provide them with guidance and technical assistance on improving the nation's health

Other Documents


ISDH Accreditation Coordinator

Patricia Truelove: PTruelove1@isdh.IN.gov.