PHAB Pathways Recogition: A Step Toward Performance Improvement and Accreditation

In the past few years, health departments have been in the spotlight more than ever. Public trust in governmental public health has been eroded and many of the deficiencies in the US public health system have been exacerbated and can no longer be ignored. As health departments begin returning to a new normal, they face complex challenges like recruiting, hiring, and maintaining a competent and qualified workforce and finding ways to assure their infrastructure will be responsive to current community needs while preparing for the next inevitable emergency.

For local, Tribal, and territorial health departments, one opportunity to address some of these complex challenges may be through engagement in the Pathways Recognition Program (Pathways), a new product recently launched by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). Pathways provides an alternative option for local, Tribal, and territorial health departments not yet ready for accreditation but that are interested in being recognized for their delivery of the Foundational Capabilities, outlined in the Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) framework. The program is designed to support performance improvement efforts, strengthen infrastructure, and facilitate public health system transformation for eligible health departments. Pathways may also serve as way for local, Tribal, and territorial health departments to build readiness toward achieving PHAB accreditation, as scores for measures assessed through the Pathways Recognition Program may be transferrable to a future accreditation review.??

Pathways assesses health departments on 34 Foundational Capability measures which are part of the Version 2022 Initial Accreditation Standards and Measures. These 34 measures are divided into two tracks – Services and Partnerships and Health Department Systems. Interested health departments may complete one or both Pathways tracks; they can be completed separately or concurrently. By successfully completing both Pathways tracks, health departments will demonstrate capacity for delivering the Foundational Capabilities in the communities they serve.

While PHAB believes all health departments should strive to become accredited to demonstrate assurance of the Essential Public Health Services in the communities they serve, we also recognize that health departments are at different points of readiness along the spectrum of performance improvement. Pathways serves as another option for health departments to get started down the path of performance improvement and to be formally recognized for these efforts.

The first cohort of the Pathways Recognition Program is currently open for applicants, with a deadline of December 15th. To get started, interested health departments must register on PHAB’s website to start the required Readiness and Training step of the process. The required elements of this process must be completed before applying to the Pathways Recognition Program.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact [email protected].?

Author: Chelsey Saari, DrPH, MPH, Senior Accreditation Specialist at PHAB