Frederick, Worcester Health Departments Achieve National PHAB Accreditation

Frederick County and Worcester County Health Departments became the first in Maryland to receive national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). The health departments were two of six newly accredited departments announced on December 9, 2014. From the PHAB Press Release:

“In addition to meeting the national standards for public health performance, these health departments demonstrated strengths in many areas, including fostering a culture of quality, professionalism, and service that is evident throughout the whole health department,” said PHAB President and CEO Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN. “These health departments also demonstrated strong fiscal management, organizational cultures that foster skill and dedication to protecting the health of their communities, and ongoing commitments to community partnerships, among many other strengths.”

Health officers for Frederick and Worcester County provided a few words regarding their awards:

“We had been tracking the progress on the development of the accreditation process, as we immediately recognized the value in achieving external validation of what we do and how we do meeting national standards,” said Barbara Brookmyer, MD, MPH, Health Officer of the newly accredited Frederick County Health Department in Frederick, Maryland. “After having gone through the accreditation preparation and process, all involved agree that we are providing an even better service to our community.”

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“As Health Officer for Worcester County, it is very rewarding to be one of the first health departments in the state of Maryland to be accredited,” said Deborah Goeller, RN, MSN. “It is an honor to have our health department publicly recognized for our commitment to quality in our efforts to protect and improve the health of our community.”

Frederick and Worcester County Health Departments join the more than 60 health departments that have been awarded five-year accreditation status since the program began in 2011.

For more information read the full PHAB Press Release.