(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – The Sedgwick County Health Department (SCHD) has completed a successful review process to maintain national accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). The nonprofit PHAB works to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure and innovation.
In maintaining its accreditation status for another five years, SCHD has demonstrated it meets PHAB’s quality standards and measures to improve the health of the residents of Sedgwick County. Two other local health departments in Kansas have achieved reaccreditation.
“We are so pleased to again be recognized by PHAB for achieving national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement," said Adrienne Byrne, Health Department Director. “By continuously improving our services and performance, we strive to meet the public health needs of those we serve as effectively as possible.”
“This recognition of excellence confirms that our Sedgwick County Health Department is among the best in the nation,” said David Dennis, Chairman of the Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners. “I am proud of the hard work it takes by our staff and leadership to provide such top-notch care on a daily basis.”
SCHD achieved national initial accreditation status through PHAB in 2014 after undergoing a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process. SCHD’s reaccreditation review, originally scheduled for 2020, was delayed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are extremely pleased to be at the point in the accreditation program where Sedgwick County Health Department, along with many others, are successfully maintaining their five-year accreditation status through PHAB,” said PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN. “In so doing, these health departments are assuring their communities that the value of accreditation is long-term — not a one-time recognition — and that continual improvement is the hallmark of a 21st-century organization.”
Public health departments are on the front lines of communities’ efforts to protect and promote health and prevent disease and injury. PHAB’s accreditation program, which receives support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sets standards by which the nation’s governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance.
-(end)-