The 2014 award honors the practice titled “Utilization of Quality Improvement to Assess, Prioritize and Improve Public Health Core Competencies” and was one of only 22 local health department programs to receive NACCHO’s prestigious Model Practice Award.

The Kane County Health Department was honored at the 2014 annual conference of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, an organization representing the nation’s 2,800 local health departments, for a program that demonstrates exemplary and replicable qualities in response to a critical local public health need.

This is the third year in a row that the Kane County Health Department has received a NACCHO Model Practice award. The conference was held July 8-10 in Atlanta, GA.

KCHD’s Model Practice has an impact on public health by allowing local health departments to meet several of the accreditation requirements (examples of quality improvement, development of a work force development plan.) These requirements can be met in such a way that they engage all staff, utilize existing internal resources, and help build a more competent workforce. As a result of this process, KCHD staff has indicated an increase interest in Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals.

“We are proud to receive NACCHO’s Model Practice Award.  The award is evidence of our commitment to developing responsive and innovative public health programs that improve the health of local residents,” said Barbara Jeffers, Executive Director of the Kane County Health Department.

Each innovative project receiving the Model Practice Award was peer-reviewed and selected from a group of 71 applicants.

Since 2003, NACCHO’s Model Practice Awards program has honored programs, resources, and tools that demonstrate how local health departments and their community partners can effectively collaborate to address local public health challenges.

The recognized practice is now part of an online, searchable database of successful public health practices in areas ranging from immunization and maternal and child health to infectious diseases and emergency preparedness. The NACCHO Model Practice database is publicly accessible, and allows local health departments, public health partners, and other important stakeholders to learn about the good work being done by local health departments across the country. The database also provides an opportunity for users to learn from colleagues’ best practices and what resources are needed to implement comparable programs in other jurisdictions that produce results.

This award puts KCHD in special company—a select group of health departments that exemplify a forward thinking, proactive attitude toward protecting and promoting the health of communities across the nation.

More information about KCHD’s Quality Improvement efforts can be found by clicking HERE.

For more information about the NACCHO Model Practice Awards and to view a list of other award winners, click HERE.

SOURCE: Health Matters newsletter