Logan County Health Department was selected as Public Health Improvement Demo Site

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Awards Grants to Improve the Quality of Public Health

Logan County Health Department was one of 56 local health departments (LHD) selected by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to participate in a program to prepare local health departments for national public health department accreditation. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), each of the 56 sites will assess their department’s capacity to meet NACCHO’s local health department standards and provide specific services that everyone, no matter where they live, should reasonably expect from their local health department. NACCHO’s standards will serve as a framework for those in the national voluntary accreditation program expected to begin in 2011.

“These health departments have demonstrated a commitment to improving the quality of public health services and programs they provide for the communities they serve. Their efforts will lead the way as local public health departments across the nation prepare for accreditation and strive to create healthier communities,” said NACCHO Executive Director Pat Libbey.

Each local health department selected for the pilot program will use a new, online version of NACCHO’s self-assessment tool to complete, analyze, and report results from their self-assessments. Based on the results of the assessment, each site will embark on a quality improvement process or formally partner with neighboring LHDs to collaboratively address areas for improvement. LHD focus areas range from applying QI processes to improve communication streams with legislators and the media to improving methods for data collection system tracking.

The award recipients include 30 single local health departments, one Tribal health department and 25 local health departments working together in five collaboratives. 

This is the second round of self-assessment grants that NACCHO has awarded. During the first half of 2008 with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NACCHO supported 10 LHDs to conduct self-assessments and quality improvement activities in preparation for national accreditation. Reports from the first round of LHD projects are available on NACCHO’s Web site at http://www.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/accreditation.cfm.

NACCHO is the national organization representing the nation’s nearly 3,000 local health departments. These agencies work every day on the front lines to protect and promote the health of their communities. NACCHO develops resources and programs and promotes national policies that support effective local public health practice.

Point of Contact:

Robert Griffin, MHA

Logan County Health Department
215 Fairgrounds Road, Suite A
Guthrie, OK 73034
(405) 282-3485