CONTACT: Natalie Shelton
natalie.shelton@dph.ga.gov or (706) 302-6707
District 4 Public Health Maintains National Accreditation Status through the Public Health Accreditation Board
Maintaining Accreditation through PHAB Ensures District 4 Public Health’s Capacity to Continue to Evolve, Improve and Advance
LAGRANGE, GA — District 4 Public Health today announced it has successfully completed a review process to maintain national accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). In maintaining its accreditation status for another five years, District 4 Public Health has demonstrated that it meets PHAB’s quality standards and measures and has the capacity to continue to evolve, improve and advance to continue improving the health of the residents through its county health departments and other programs and services in Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup and Upson counties.
The non-profit PHAB works to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure, and innovation. PHAB’s accreditation program, which receives support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sets standards against which the nation’s governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance.
“We are so pleased to again be recognized by PHAB for achieving national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement,” said Dr. Beverley Townsend, Acting District Health Director for District 4 Public Health. “We hope this announcement will reassure our community, partner organizations, funders, and elected officials that the services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community.”
District 4 Public Health achieved national initial accreditation status through PHAB on November 19, 2019; after undergoing a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure it met a set of quality standards and measures. Today’s announcement goes a step further by demonstrating that District 4 Public Health has the capacity to become increasingly effective at improving the health of the community.
“We are pleased to see District 4 Public Health maintaining their five-year PHAB accreditation,” said PHAB President and CEO Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MD, MPH, FACEP. “This demonstrates that accreditation is not just a one-time achievement but an ongoing commitment to excellence. By maintaining accreditation, these health departments reaffirm their dedication to continuous improvement and community health.”
Often called the “backbone” of the public health system, public health departments are on the front lines of communities’ efforts to protect and promote health and prevent disease and injury. PHAB-accredited health departments demonstrate great leadership by placing their work for peer review, with the goal of using the feedback obtained during the process to improve the services they provide to their communities.
“PHAB accreditation has strengthened District 4 Public Health by deepening our community partnerships, refining our processes, policies, and procedures, and embedding a culture of continuous quality improvement,” Dr. Townsend said. “It has reinforced our commitment to data collection and analysis—helping us identify opportunities for improvement, elevate best practices, and make decisions that are truly data-driven and data-informed.”
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About District 4 Public Health
District 4 Public Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup and Upson counties. Learn more at district4health.org. For an appointment at one of our health departments, please call (800) 847-4262 or make an appointment online at district4health.org.
About the Public Health Accreditation Board
The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) was created to serve as the national public health accrediting body and is jointly funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Vital Records/Health Statistics accreditation is funded, in part, by the National Center for Health Statistics. The development of national public health department accreditation has involved, and is supported by, public health leaders and practitioners from the national, state, local, Tribal, and territorial levels. For more information, contact PHAB Communications at communications@phaboard.org. Learn more about PHAB and accreditation at www.phaboard.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Natalie Shelton
natalie.shelton@dph.ga.gov or (706) 302-6707