Public Health Accreditation Board: Prerequisites to Public Health Accreditation
There are 3 prerequisites that need to be completed before applying for Public Health Accreditation: Community Health Assessment (CHA), Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), and the Strategic Plan. All of these are dependent upon the collection and analysis of health status data. It is also important to perform a self-assessment to determine at what level the tribal health department is providing the 10 Essential Public Health Services, as well as readiness for accreditation. Public Health Accreditation Board
Prerequisites Defined:
- Community Health Assessment (CHA): A community health assessment, in which a Health Department assesses the health needs in the community, the health status of the community and plans its services through the second document.
- Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP): A community health improvement plan, which maps out exactly what a Health Department is going to do as it works with partners to improve the health status of its jurisdiction.
- Strategic Plan: A strategic plan for the health department, which indicates a Health Department’s service priorities and how it plans to accomplish its strategic goals.
Benefits of CHAs & CHIPs:
- Increases visibility of public health services.
- Creates advocates for public health services.
- Creates a healthy community and better quality of life.
- Anticipates and manages change more effectively.
- Creates a stronger public health infrastructure.
- Builds stronger partnerships within the community.
- Builds public health leadership within the community.
