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The Ontario Council on Community Health Accreditation (OCCHA)
was formed in 1981. OCCHA in an independent agency directed by a Board
of Directors whose
members are appointed by professional associations involved in public
health.
OCCHA's conviction is that the provision of quality public
health programs and services requires sound administrative and operational
processes. Through the accreditation process,
OCCHA provides an independent, voluntary, peer evaluation of the
administrative and operational aspects of local public health agencies.
To be appointed to the OCCHA Board of Directors, a
representative must be active at the management/consultative level in
public health and must be approved for election or appointment by the
member organization which he/she is representing on the OCCHA Board.
Summary of Activities
June 2007 – April
2008
OCCHA’s Mandate
To
establish, review and revise accreditation standards related to
governance, administration, program planning, implementation, monitoring
and evaluation.
To
enhance knowledge through consultation and shared experience.
To
measure agency performance against peer set standards, provide
comprehensive reports and confer accreditation awards.
To
promote and facilitate continuous quality improvement in public health
units through consultation across Ontario public health units.
To
work in partnership with other community health organizations and
relevant provincial ministries to promote excellence in public health
programs and services.
OCCHA’s Strategic Directions
1. Strengthen OCCHA’s partnership with the MOHLTC by creating
opportunities for collaboration in support of public health renewal.
2. Enhance customer service and marketing of OCCHA and the
accreditation process and nurture/strengthen alliances and partnerships
in support of OCCHA’s mission.
3. Encourage and facilitate organizational excellence and ongoing
quality of practice (CQI) in public health.
4. Build the capacity to fulfill OCCHA’s role in support of public
health renewal.
Key Initiatives for 2007-2008
1. Further review and update of the quality framework for public
health.
2. Consultation with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care in
support of the public health renewal, performance measurement and
accountability
3. Comprehensive review of the accreditation process in support of
continuous quality improvement. This will include the development of
annual reporting processes and tools; the review and revision of on-site
survey review documents, and the review and revision of the
accreditation report to more clearly capture innovation and risk
management.
4. Enhanced marketing of the accreditation program and the
development of guidelines and tools to assist health units in their
preparations for an accreditation survey.
OCCHA’s Accreditation Award and Standards
In consideration of OCCHA’s work to support continuous
quality improvement and to facilitate increased participation in the
accreditation program, the OCCHA Board of Directors has recently
approved a standardized accreditation award, to be implemented in
January 2009. Over the next 12 months, the Principles and Standards
Committee, in consultation with the OCCHA Board of Directors will be
developing processes and tools to support this change in the program. It
is the intention of the OCCHA Board of Directors to expand the
accreditation program to include annual reviews and reporting
mechanisms. In addition, the Principles and Standards Committee will be
making appropriate revisions to the standards to incorporate the Ontario
Public Health Standards and protocols.
In May 2008, all accredited health units will be receiving notice of
the changes to the accreditation process and the potential impact on
accreditation surveys currently scheduled for 2009. To facilitate a
smooth transition from the current program to the revised accreditation
program, OCCHA will be offering additional support through on-site
presentations and program updates. As changes are approved, updates will
also be provided on the OCCHA website. For further information, please
contact Meighan Finlay, Executive Director, at
meighanfinlay@occha.org
OCCHA is also revising its standards to reflect the new
Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS). The revised accreditation
standards reflect the Quality Framework that has been developed. The
standards will be sent to all Health Units for comments in May 2008.
OCCHA’s Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Advisory
Group
The CQI Advisory Group provides ongoing feedback to
OCCHA on CQI initiatives and assists in priority-setting of CQI
activities. Membership on the Advisory Group is open to all public
health units. The Advisory Group currently has representation from 20 of
the 36 public health units. For more information, please visit the OCCHA
website at www.occha.org or contact Bev
Russ at
bevruss@occha.org
Public Health Renewal
OCCHA provided feedback on the proposed changes to the
Mandatory Programs and Services Guidelines. OCCHA also participated in the consultation process for the Ontario Public Health
Standards protocols. The OCCHA Board of Directors
looks forward to our continued involvement in support of public health
renewal, particularly in the areas of performance measurement and
accountability.
Surveyor Training Workshop
A surveyor training workshop will be planned upon completion of the accreditation standards and
documents review process. Workshops are organized and conducted based on
the upcoming schedule of accreditation surveys. For more information,
please contact Meighan Finlay at
meighanfinlay@occha.org
Accreditation Surveys
OCCHA conducted one accreditation survey in June 2007. OCCHA will be
conducting one additional survey prior to the end of May 2008.
Health Units interested in learning more about OCCHA and the
accreditation process should contact Meighan Finlay at
meighanfinlay@occha.org.
OCCHA would be pleased to provide a presentation to your Board of Health
or Health Unit.
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