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TLIGHT ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Accreditation of the
Georgia Department Of Public Health
2 Peachtree St NW
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-PUB-HLTH
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is
the lead agency in preventing disease, injury and disability;
promoting health and well-being; and preparing for and responding
to disasters from a health perspective. In 2011, the General
Assembly restored DPH to its own state agency after more than 30
years of consolidation with other departments. At the state level,
DPH functions through numerous divisions, sections, programs and
offices. Locally, DPH funds and collaborates with Georgia's 159
county health departments and 18 public health districts.
Through the changes, the mission has remained constant – to
protect the lives of all Georgians. Today, DPH’s main functions
include: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Maternal and Child Health, Infectious Disease
and Immunization, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Emergency Preparedness and Response,
Emergency Medical Services, Pharmacy, Nursing, Volunteer Health Care, the Office of Health
Equity, Vital Records, and the State Public Health Laboratory.
Accreditation*: In January 2014, DPH announced the decision to seek formal, national
accreditation. If approved, Georgia would be the third state to achieve this status, joining
Washington and Oklahoma as early as 2015. In order for Georgia to receive full accreditation by the
Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), examiners will assess DPH in ten essential services of
public health. To receive accreditation, a health department must undergo a "rigorous, multi-faceted,
peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure that it meets or exceeds a specific set of quality
standards and measures," according to PHAB’s website. The process consists of seven steps: pre-
application, application, document selection and submission, site visit, accreditation decision,
reports and, ultimately, reaccreditation.
Just as hospitals, schools and law enforcement agencies do, public health departments can use
accreditation to define expectations for the services they provide, set standards and measures to
evaluate those services and ensure that public health programs are responsive to the communities
they serve. Georgia’s Cobb and Douglas Public Health district and the DeKalb Board of Health are
already seeking accreditation status for their districts, along with the Gwinnett, Newton and
Rockdale county health departments. DPH Commissioner, Dr. Fitzgerald has tapped Scott Uhlich,
previously DPH’s director of the Office of Environmental Health, to lead the ongoing project.
*Reprinted from PHWeek, a publication of the Georgia Department of Public Health.
26 Georgia Environmentalist Volume 36
Accreditation of the
Georgia Department Of Public Health
2 Peachtree St NW
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-PUB-HLTH
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is
the lead agency in preventing disease, injury and disability;
promoting health and well-being; and preparing for and responding
to disasters from a health perspective. In 2011, the General
Assembly restored DPH to its own state agency after more than 30
years of consolidation with other departments. At the state level,
DPH functions through numerous divisions, sections, programs and
offices. Locally, DPH funds and collaborates with Georgia's 159
county health departments and 18 public health districts.
Through the changes, the mission has remained constant – to
protect the lives of all Georgians. Today, DPH’s main functions
include: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Maternal and Child Health, Infectious Disease
and Immunization, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Emergency Preparedness and Response,
Emergency Medical Services, Pharmacy, Nursing, Volunteer Health Care, the Office of Health
Equity, Vital Records, and the State Public Health Laboratory.
Accreditation*: In January 2014, DPH announced the decision to seek formal, national
accreditation. If approved, Georgia would be the third state to achieve this status, joining
Washington and Oklahoma as early as 2015. In order for Georgia to receive full accreditation by the
Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), examiners will assess DPH in ten essential services of
public health. To receive accreditation, a health department must undergo a "rigorous, multi-faceted,
peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure that it meets or exceeds a specific set of quality
standards and measures," according to PHAB’s website. The process consists of seven steps: pre-
application, application, document selection and submission, site visit, accreditation decision,
reports and, ultimately, reaccreditation.
Just as hospitals, schools and law enforcement agencies do, public health departments can use
accreditation to define expectations for the services they provide, set standards and measures to
evaluate those services and ensure that public health programs are responsive to the communities
they serve. Georgia’s Cobb and Douglas Public Health district and the DeKalb Board of Health are
already seeking accreditation status for their districts, along with the Gwinnett, Newton and
Rockdale county health departments. DPH Commissioner, Dr. Fitzgerald has tapped Scott Uhlich,
previously DPH’s director of the Office of Environmental Health, to lead the ongoing project.
*Reprinted from PHWeek, a publication of the Georgia Department of Public Health.
26 Georgia Environmentalist Volume 36
