For Immediate Release: 3/13/2014 11:11 am
Worcester, MA (March 13, 2014) - Worcester Division of Public Health/Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance, has been awarded $28,400 to support its progress in meeting the requirements of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), the first and only voluntary national accreditation program for public health departments. The Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance is one of 29 local health departments from 19 states to receive this funding through the Accreditation Support Initiative (ASI). A total of 147 local health departments of all sizes and types, ranging from rural to urban applied for funding.
"One of my main priorities is public health. Having this grant contribute to the funding for accreditation preparation will help continue the Division's commitment to high performance and continuous quality improvement," said Mayor Joseph Petty. "It will prove to be a great step in the right direction to make Worcester one of the healthiest communities by 2020."
"Worcester is on track to be the first accredited health department in MA," said City Manager Edward Augustus. "The allocation of funds from the ASI will help the division establish a national standard to hold ourselves accountable to and assist our dedicated team with building on the momentum of the community health improvement plan."
The ASI was created in 2011 to promote national accreditation readiness among a greater number of local health departments and support their varying needs to reach accreditation. Funding for the ASI is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support (CDC) and administered by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).
"Quality improvement is one of the most important investments a local health department can make - always seeking ways to do things better, more efficiently, with just the right amount of resources and with a greater impact," said NACCHO Executive Director Robert M. Pestronk. "As a participant in this initiative, the Worcester Division of Public Health/Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance is taking a big step to ensure better health for the people of Central Massachusetts."
The Worcester Division of Public Health/Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance received funding under the general category of "Establishing and Monitoring a System of Performance Management." The department will use the grant to provide staff training on key principles of performance management and quality improvement, develop a departmental performance management plan and pay part of accreditation application fees. The Worcester Division of Public Health/Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance is one of the first health departments in the state to pursue national accreditation.
"We are grateful to have received the Accreditation Support Initiative funding from NACCHO. These funds will help us continue to prepare for national accreditation and at the same time improve the quality and efficiency of our services throughout the region," said Derek Brindisi, Director of the Worcester Division of Public Health, lead agency of the Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance. "This opportunity supports our organizational vision of becoming a nationally recognized model for an efficient, effective and equitable regional public health system in the healthiest region in New England."
More information, including a full list of selected local health departments and descriptions of the work they have been funded to complete, can be found at www.naccho.org/asi.
*Disclaimer: Awards are pending execution of a contract with NACCHO and successful completion of project deliverables.
About the Worcester Division of Public Health, Lead Agency of the Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance
The mission of the Worcester Division of Public Health/Central Massachusetts Regional Public Health Alliance is to improve, promote and protect the health and safety of residents in participating Massachusetts municipalities through the formation of strong community and academic partnerships, data-driven decision-making and delivery of high quality public health services.
About the National Association of County and City Health Officials
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's 2,800 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities.
