Maintaining Accreditation through PHAB Ensures the Stratford Health Department’s Capacity to Continue to Evolve, Improve and Advance
Stratford, CT (Wednesday, December, 7th, 2022) — The Stratford Health Department today announced it has successfully completed a review process to maintain national accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). “We are so pleased to again be acknowledged by PHAB and hope this announcement of our reaccreditation, coming on the heels of the ever-evolving public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will reassure our community, our partner organizations, our funders and our elected officials that the services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community” said Andrea Boissevain, the Health Director for the town of Stratford.
The nonprofit PHAB works to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure, and innovation. In maintaining its accreditation status for another five years, the Stratford Health Department has demonstrated that it meets PHAB’s quality standards and measures and can continue to evolve, improve and advance, thereby becoming increasingly effective at improving the health of the residents of Stratford.
PHAB’s accreditation program, which receives support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sets standards against which the nation’s governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance.
“It is no surprise that our Health Department, even following several years of unimaginable challenges of keeping residents informed and safe, continues to maintain a high standard of performance. Congratulations to the entire department on this national recognition and thank you for all your hard work,” said Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick.
The Stratford Health Department achieved national initial accreditation status through PHAB in May of 2016, 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 the Stratford Health Department continues its efforts in being a standard-bearer of the community.
The Stratford Health Department is committed to improving the quality of life for the Stratford community by promoting health and well-being, prevention of disease, and by assuring a clean and safe environment. The department is made up of several divisions including environmental health, public health nursing, community health, public health emergency preparedness, and school-based health services.
“We are extremely pleased to be at the point in the accreditation program where the Stratford Health Department, along with many others, are successfully maintaining their five-year accreditation status through PHAB,” said PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN. “In so doing, these health departments are assuring their communities that the value of accreditation is long-term — not a one-time recognition — and that continual improvement is the hallmark of a 21st-century organization.”
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, to using the feedback obtained during the process to improve the services they provide to their communities.
