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In 1997, OCCHA expanded the accreditation standards to
include a section related to public health program monitoring and
evaluation in order to focus more on public health programs and services.
While this addition was positively received, the need for the
accreditation standards to more clearly reflect the Mandatory Health
Programs and Services Guidelines (MHPSG) continued to be a priority for
public health units and Boards of Health.
To this end, the Principles and Standards Committee of the
OCCHA Board of Directors conducted a comprehensive review of the both
current accreditation standards and the MHPSG. The result of this review
was the development of five (5) new standards containing a total of
twenty-five (25) new components, the addition of eight (8) new components
to existing standards and the revision of numerous existing standards and
components. During this review, the Principles and Standards Committee
also attempted to further eliminate duplication across and within the
standards. The OCCHA Board of Directors reviewed the draft standards on
October 4, 2002 and developed a timeframe for the further review and
implementation of these standards.
The OCCHA Board of Directors invites you to review this
draft document and provide OCCHA with any comments and/or suggestions you
may have regarding the content, clarity and focus of the standards,
components and/or the definitions contained therein. Your response is
requested by Wednesday, December 4, 2002, by e-mail, fax, letter or phone.
It should be noted that this document contains both the
existing standards and all additions and revisions. To assist you in your
review of this document, it should be noted that all revisions and/or
additions to a standard, component or definition are shaded. Revisions to
existing standards or components are further highlighted in italics.
In addition to the Draft 2002 Accreditation
Principles, Standards, Components and Definitions, a table is also
provided which demonstrates the relationship between the accreditation
standards and the MHPSG. Please note that all the Mandatory Programs are
included, with the exception of Program Planning and Evaluation, which is
currently being reviewed by the OCCHA Principles and Standards Committee.
The OCCHA Board of Directors is committed to the
continuous improvement of the accreditation process. This cannot be
achieved without the support and input of public health agencies, Boards
of Health, surveyors and member organizations. All responses will be
reviewed by the OCCHA Board of Directors on December 13, 2002. Upon final
approval of the standards, OCCHA will update all remaining accreditation
documents (ie., agency questionnaire and surveyor report form) and a
complete package will be made available to all public health agencies on
the OCCHA web site. It is expected that the approved standards will be
implemented in early 2003.
Thank you for your assistance in this initiative. Should
you have any questions regarding the enclosed documents or the process for
review and implementation, please contact Meighan Finlay at meighanfinlay@occha.org
or by phone at 905-639-6367.
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