Washoe County Health District earns national accreditation

WCHD receives prestigious recognition after 5-year process

The Washoe County Health District (WCHD) received a national accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) last month, a program considered the national standard for public health in the United States.

WCHD went through a rigorous, five-year accreditation process that included a thorough review of the delivery of health services, administration, governing board and community engagement. PHAB interviewed WCHD staff and community partners, and conducted a review of organizational documents to measure the WCHD’s performance against a set of nationally recognized, practice-focused and evidenced-based standards.

"Receiving accreditation is a significant achievement, one that recognizes outstanding performance by Washoe County Health District," said Dr. John Novak, Board Chair of WCHD. "The staff, board of health members, and community partners should be commended for their commitment to providing quality services to all in Washoe County."

PHAB is a nonprofit organization that has overseen and implemented national public health department accreditation for state, tribal and local health departments since 2011. With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, PHAB’s accreditation program is the national standard for public health in the United States.

"This is a very important milestone in our continued efforts to promote healthy lifestyles, prevent injury and disease and to lead the community toward a culture of health," said Kevin Dick, Washoe County District Health Officer. "Accreditation is a strenuous process, but one that we welcomed as an opportunity to meet national benchmarks for performance. Earning public health accreditation is another measure of our excellence to improve and protect the health of the public and reflects our commitment to our community."

Every day, communities around the nation trust and rely on health departments to keep them safe from diseases and injuries, promote good health and protect them from hazards. To uphold that trust, the District Board of Health commissioned a fundamental review of the WCHD in 2014 and has been working to implement the review recommendations and address the rigorous accreditation requirements since that time.

The Washoe County Health District has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through the policy-making Washoe County District Board of Health. The Washoe County Health District consists of the following five divisions: Administrative Health Services (AHS), Air Quality Management (AQM), Community and Clinical Health Services (CCHS), Environmental Health Services (EHS) and Epidemiology and Public Health Preparedness (EPHP).

To learn more about the WCHD visit https://www.washoecounty.us/health/