Author: Reena Chudgar

In public health, Foundational Capabilities, also known as public health infrastructure, are the crosscutting skills and capacities needed to support basic public health protections, programs, and activities key to ensuring community health and well-being and achieving equitable outcomes.

The Foundational Public Health Services framework outlines the unique responsibilities of governmental public health and defines a minimum set of Foundational Capabilities and Foundational Areas that must be available in every community. One of these Foundational Capabilities is Accountability and Performance Management.

Accountability and Performance Management focuses on the ability to perform according to accepted standards and policies, including Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation. It also includes the ability to maintain performance management objectives and strengthen organizational culture of quality.

Below are a few resources to support health departments and statewide systems.

PHAB’s 2024 Value and Impact of Accreditation Report

The 2024 Value and Impact Report communicates the internal and external benefits of PHAB accreditation, including increasing performance, improving quality, supporting workforce development, advancing community health and health equity, strengthening accountability, improving programs and services, and improving the utilization of resources.

JPHMP Editorial: Building the Foundation for a High-Performing Public Health System

This introduction to a special issue of the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice provides an overview of articles that provide vital evidence on the value and impact of accreditation, shed light on health departments’ accreditation experiences, and prompt future inquiry into the impact of accreditation.

Examining the Association Between Public Health Accreditation and COVID-19 Outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic placed an extraordinary burden on and emphasized the critical role that state, Tribal, local, and U.S. territory and freely associated state public health departments play in protecting the health of the communities they serve. This brief summarizes a study examining the relationship between public health accreditation through PHAB and outcomes related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccination and death rates. 

Leveling Up a Health Department in a Smaller County Through PHAB

This interview with Amanda Mehl, a public health administrator with the Boone County Health Department in Illinois, reveals her experience with PHAB accreditation and highlights its transformative potential for small health departments, showcasing how it fosters innovation, collaboration, and operational efficiency in resource-limited settings. Her journey demonstrates how accreditation serves as a catalyst for progress and equity, enabling health departments to achieve impactful results in their communities. 

Performance Management System Guidance

This ASTHO blog demonstrates that a strong performance management system is flexible, adaptable, and unique to each jurisdiction. Recommendations from Columbus, Philadelphia, and San Antonio are summarized into actionable steps that any health agency can adopt to improve their system. Similarly, this ASTHO blog provides guidance on choosing the right performance management system for creating a meaningful impact.

PHAB’s Statewide Documentation Tipsheet for State Health Departments

This tipsheet provides guidance on statewide accreditation documentation. It includes an overview of the documentation review process and examples of statewide documentation.  

Service and Resource Sharing Approaches for Systems Efforts

As health departments demonstrate PHAB Standards and Measures, service and resource sharing approaches and tools can support accreditation readiness and facilitate approaching service delivery through a systems lens. Visit PHAB’s Service and Resource Sharing webpage for more information. 

Systems Thinking: Through A Public Health Lens

The Upper Midwest Training Center’s resource on Systems Thinking Through a Public Health Lens provides insights on addressing various PHAB accreditation measures through a systems approach. Participants will learn to connect leadership with systems thinking, apply the social ecological model, recognize public health accreditation components as a systems thinking approach, and explore strategic action steps in various scenarios. 

Accreditation Coordinator Hiring Guide

Health departments pursuing PHAB accreditation are required to appoint one person as an Accreditation Coordinator (AC). The AC cannot be the Health Department Director as the responsibilities of these positions are too significant to be handled by one individual. This document provides guidance and resources for hiring an AC and includes: 1) a general description of the AC role and associated skill sets; 2) a sample job description and job posting; 3) potential interview questions; and 4) a list of additional resources. 

Key Plan Templates

Historically, the governmental public health system has been underfunded and understaffed, requiring the workforce to do what they can within the existing infrastructure. To assist, PHAB has a variety of resources to help health departments with their workforce efforts, including the Workforce Plan Template, Workforce Plan User Guide, Quality Improvement Plan Template, and the Quality Improvement Plan User Guide. 

Making Accreditation Fun On-Demand Course

This PHAB course provides creative strategies and activities to make the accreditation or recognition process fun and engaging for staff. Visit the PHAB Learning Center and find this course in the Learning Library. To access the Learning Center, you will need to create a free account. 

Performance Management Leadership Guide

ASTHO helps states and territories improve the performance and quality of public health systems so that they are aligned, data-driven, and outcome-focused. In this performance management leadership guide, ASTHO helps establish plans, policies, and systems that set targets for being a high-functioning health department and foster a culture of continuous improvement. 

State Health Assessment Guidance and Resources

Intended to complement and support existing ASTHO guidance for state health improvement planning, this guidance document is a resource for state health departments developing a state health assessment. It includes information and tips based on state health departments’ experiences conducting a state health assessment.

Workforce Planning Guide: Guidance, Tools, and Resources to Assist Public Health Agencies in Workforce Planning

This Workforce Planning Guide provides information, resources, and tools to develop an effective workforce planning process to create a three- to five-year workforce plan and is designed for all governmental public health agencies at all stages of plan preparation.

Advancing Performance Management Webinar Series

ASTHO’s three-webinar series on advancing performance management provides an overview of how and why performance management is important, developing meaningful metrics, and updated resources to support the work.  

PHIG recipients looking for additional resources or assistance related to accountability and performance management can request technical assistance from the National Partners through the PHIVE portal.