Broad discussions were held as the committee reviewed the accreditation activities. One particular local MLC accreditation project stood out: Missouri. It addressed both urban and rural local public health. It had a large diversity in scope and scale of departmental structures. Significant work had been accomplished including currently accredited departments. This was a scalable accreditation depending on size and interest with reasonable implementation costs and a transparent process to duplicate.
After careful review of Missouri's example, it was decided that a formal, independently driven accreditation council was needed in Texas. The council developed "Final Recommendations" for how to implement accreditation in Texas. The committee discussed potential sponsors, created the structure for a Texas PHAB-like organization, and continued to follow other practices occurring across the USA.
A new model reflective of the structure in Texas was necessary. The committee created the outline for a Public Health Accreditation Council of Texas (PHACT), with the intent that council members would represent many statewide partners with shared interests in public health.
In 2008, PHACT was born and currently has 13 voting members on the council representing the following stakeholder group:
Schools of Public Health (1)
Local Health Departments (6)
Texas Association of Local Health Officials (1)
Texas Department of State Health Services (2)
Texas Public Health Association (1)
Texas Health Institute (1)
Texas Medical Association (1)
In an effort to assist local Texas health departments with their accreditation preparation,
the University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public, with funding from the
Department of State Health Services, and support from the Texas Association of Local
Health Officials, has collected and organized the most valuable accreditation resources and
made that information available in one place!
Periodically the toolkit will be updated so that it contains the most current and relevant
existing resources. If you are having difficulty with any of the links or if you have
suggestions of other resources that you think would be helpful to fellow Texas health
departments pursuing accreditation, please email info@phactx.org.
Welcome to the Accreditation Toolkit! Click here to download the TOOLKIT!
Toolkit Features
The Accreditation Toolkit has a variety of resources that will be helpful to health
departments of all sizes and at all stages of readiness. Some of the tools included are links
to videos, presentations, training materials, how-to guides, funding information, and
articles that provide insight and information about the accreditation process.
The resources are divided into several categories. Click on the following links to find the
information you are looking for.
- 13 Steps to Accreditation Success
- Benefits of National Accreditation
- Presentations and Training Materials
- Accreditation Basics
- CHA/CHIP, and ASP Resources
- Documentation Resources
- Cost and Funding Information