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San Francisco Department of Public Health wins five-year national accreditation
Summary
The San Francisco Department of Public Health was approved for national accreditation, one of fewer than 200 local health departments in the U.S.; the designation runs five years and the department plans a formal April presentation and follow-up on improvement areas.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) was formally notified in March 2017 that it has been approved for national accreditation, Dr. Thomas Aragon told the Health Commission. Out of more than 3,000 local health departments nationally, fewer than 200 are accredited, Aragon said, and San Francisco is now among that group.
"We’re accredited for five years," Aragon said, adding that the accreditation includes a few areas the department must continue to improve. He thanked staff across the department and singled out Karen Pierce, the accreditation coordinator, for her work on documentation and process management.
Director Barbara Garcia also praised the health officer and staff for keeping accreditation work “in the forefront” and for emphasizing quality improvement across the department. Commissioners offered congratulations during the meeting and acknowledged the years of institutional work that led to the outcome.
DPH plans a fuller presentation to the commission in April to review the accrediting body’s findings and the department’s performance-improvement plan. The announcement noted the accreditation recognizes foundational public-health practices but does not remove the department’s ongoing obligations to address identified weaknesses.
The commission did not take formal action on the accreditation announcement at this meeting.
