Identifying training priorities through self-assessment by Alyssa K. Landen


population the allegheny county health department serves



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population the allegheny county health department serves


Allegheny County is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania (Figure 4). Historically, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh were major players in manufacturing and soon became a major port city due to the strategic location of rivers and location of the early towns on the riverbanks (Allegheny County Pennsylvania, n.d). In 1852, the Pennsylvania Railroad opened up Allegheny County and Pittsburgh to continued trade and Allegheny County soon became known for its steel and iron industries (Allegheny County Pennsylvania, n.d).
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/internet/bureaus/pdplanres.nsf/ctymap.gif

(Source: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation , 2014)

Figure : Location of Allegheny County Pennsylvania


As of 2013, the estimated population of Allegheny County Pennsylvania is 1,231,527 (United States Census Bureau, 2014). Of these individuals, 81.3% identify as white (79.9% identify as white not Hispanic or Latino), 13.3% identify as black, 0.2% identity as American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% identify as Asian, 1.9% identify as two or more races, and 1.8% identity as Hispanic or Latino (United States Census Bureau, 2014). In Allegheny County, the median household income from 2008-2012 was $50,644, with 12.7% of the population living below poverty level (United States Census Bureau, 2014). In Allegheny County, 5.2% of the individuals are under the age of 5, 19.2% are under the age of 18, 17.1% are 65 years of age or older, 51.9% of individuals are female, and 48.1% individuals are male (United States Census Bureau, 2014). Educational attainment estimates from 2008-2012 are listed below (United States Census Bureau: American FactFinder, 2014):


  • Less than 9th grade: 2.1%

  • 9-12 grade, no diploma: 5.3%

  • High school graduate: 31.5%

  • Some college, no diploma: 17.2%

  • Associate’s degree: 8.8%

  • Bachelor’s degree: 20.8%

  • Graduate or professional degree: 14.3%


issue at hand


The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) notes “accreditation using the PHAB standards and measures can help a health department achieve performance excellence” (Public Health Accreditation Board, 2013b). The PHAB began working with health departments towards accreditation in September of 2011, with accreditation beginning in 2013 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Accreditation of health departments is a voluntary program and signifies a health department is meeting national standards (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 2013). According to the PHAB, as of September 16, 2014, 54 health departments in the United States have received national accreditation (Public Health Accreditation Board, 2013a). National accreditation of health departments, although spearheaded by the PHAB, is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014a). Benefits and impacts of accreditation include (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 2010):

  • Improvement of health departments and infrastructure

  • Valuable and measurable feedback on strengths and areas for improvement

  • Improvements to delivery of public health services and programs

  • Quality and performance improvement within all public health programs to better respond to health challenges

  • Increasing accountability and credibility

There are seven steps of accreditation (Public Health Accreditation Board, 2014):


  1. Pre-application

  2. Application

  3. Documentation Selection and Submission

  4. Site Visit

  5. Accreditation Decision

  6. Reports

  7. Reaccreditation

There are 12 domains of accreditation (Public Health Accreditation Board, 2013c):


  • Domain 1: Conduct and Disseminate Assessments Focused on Population Health Status And Public Health Issues Facing the Community

  • Domain 2: Investigate Health Problems and Environmental Public Health Hazards to Protect the Community

  • Domain 3: Inform and Educate about Public Health Issues and Functions

  • Domain 4: Engage with the Community to Identify and Address Health Problems

  • Domain 5: Develop Public Health Policies and Plans

  • Domain 6: Enforce Public Health Laws

  • Domain 7: Promote Strategies to Improve Access to Health Care

  • Domain 8: Maintain a Competent Public Health Workforce

  • Domain 9: Evaluate and Continuously Improve Processes, Programs, and Interventions

  • Domain 10: Contribute to and Apply the Evidence Base of Public Health

  • Domain 11: Maintain Administrative and Management Capacity

  • Domain 12: Maintain Capacity to Engage the Public Health Governing Entity

domain 8 of accreditation: Maintain a competent public health workforce


Domain 8 of the accreditation process focuses on building a competent workforce that is better prepared to deliver the ten essential services of public health. Domain 8 has two standards that are required of health departments (Public Health Accreditation Board, 2013c):


  • Encourage the Development of a Sufficient Number of Qualified Public Health Workers

  • Assess Staff Competencies and Address Gaps by Enabling Organizational and Individual Training and Development

Under these standards, the health department must provide documentation of the following to measure each standard (Public Health Accreditation Board, 2013c):

  • Relationships and/or collaborations that promote the development of future public health workers

  • Workforce development strategies

  • A competent health department workforce

  • Professional and career development for all staff

  • Work environment that is supportive to the workforce

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