Accreditation
On March 14, 2017, the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services (DPHCS) achieved national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). At this time, the Nashua DPHCS is the first and only accredited health department in the state of New Hampshire (NH).
The Nashua DPHCS is currently in the process of reaccreditation, due October 13, 2022.
What is Accreditation?
- The measurement of health department performance against a set of nationally recognized, practice-focused, and evidenced-based standards.
- The issuance of recognition of achievement of accreditation within a specified time frame by a nationally recognized entity.
- The continual development, revision, and distribution of public health standards.
The national accreditation program works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing and ultimately transforming the quality and performance of the nation’s state, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments.
Benefits of Accreditation
- Promotes a culture of quality and performance improvement.
- Increases capacity to respond to public health emergencies and threats.
- Encourages the use of health equity as a lens to identify health priorities.
- Strengthens health departments to work with their partners to better serve their communities.