Board approves Marquette County Health Department plan for MDHHS accreditation

The Marquette County Board of Commissioners voted Feb. 17 to approve the Marquette County Health Department’s (MCHD) 2026 Plan of Organization so the county health department can complete its accreditation submission to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

Jerry Messana, director of the health department, told commissioners the 2026 plan was drafted to meet MDHHS accreditation requirements and that the local Board of Health had approved the document at its Jan. 28 meeting. Messana said the 2026 plan removes two policy texts (the Blood Borne Pathogen Policy and the Hazard Communication Policy) from the Plan of Organization document, noting those items remain department policies but are not required for the current accreditation submission.

The board moved to approve the plan; Commissioner Numinen made the motion, Commissioner Alholm seconded it, and the motion was adopted 4-0. Chairperson Joseph Derocha was authorized to sign all required documents for submission to MDHHS.

Why it matters: State accreditation is performed on a three-year cycle and requires a current Plan of Organization. Approving and signing the plan enables MCHD to proceed with MDHHS’s review and the upcoming accreditation site visit scheduled for mid-March 2026, according to Messana.

Next steps: The chair will sign and return the Local Health Department Plan of Organization Approval Form to the health department, which will submit the materials to MDHHS. A full copy of the 2026 Plan of Organization is available from the health department, the transcript notes.

What the vote recorded: Motion adopted (4-0).