SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sacramento County’s Public Health Services Division announced Wednesday it has received national recognition, in the form of accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board.
Sacramento County Public Health serves the community in wide-ranging ways.
“One of the things that we've been doing is actually having a van with medical staff that actually go out to some of these shelters and provide services such as STD testing, wound care…TB screening, so a lot of different services,” said Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento County’s Public Health Officer. “We do this in partnership with others, such as a primary care clinic, and so that's one small way in which we're able to provide services to [the unhoused community].”
Sacramento County Public Health Services also consistently monitors for emerging threats.
“Things like avian flu, things like mpox, foodborne illnesses, COVID, flu,” Kasirye said.
It’s good and important work, she says, that will get even better. That’s because Sacramento County Public Health just announced it has received national recognition from the Public Health Accreditation Board.
“This accreditation is basically a way of us demonstrating that…we are committed, that our staff are getting all the training that they need, that our Board of Supervisors is committed in providing us with the funding that we need in order to make sure that our communities are safe,” Kasirye said.
She said this newly announced accreditation means—not only is the county’s public health services division up to the standards of this national board, which is funded by the CDC and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, but also—Sacramento County is committed to continuous improvement. That’s built into the process, since the accreditation lasts just five years before the county has to re-apply, and they must submit annual reports along the way.
“Earning accreditation is a testament to a health department’s dedication to improving the health and well-being of their residents,” said Jessica Solomon Fisher, Acting CEO of the Public Health Accreditation Board. “This achievement reflects Sacramento County’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement as they tackle complex public health challenges and build healthier communities.”
ABC10 also spoke with members of Sacramento County's accreditation team.
"This will give us an opportunity over the next five years to really capitalize on quality improvement, increase partnerships with our community allies and to really engage the community in creating a healthier Sacramento County,” said Chantal Allen-Jarrell, human services program planner with the county’s Accreditation Unit.
The county’s accreditation team says community partners and their input are key to improvement.
“It's becoming more of a community-based project, and we're very proud of that and all the partners that are involved in that,” said Gurleen Roberts, health program manager in the county’s Accreditation, Health & Racial Equity and Health Education Units.
Sacramento County joins 24 other California counties with this national accreditation and more than 400 local, state and tribal public health departments nationwide. The full list is HERE.
Other counties in our area with this public health accreditation include Yolo, El Dorado and San Joaquin. Dr. Kasirye says neighboring counties work together to innovate and take a regional approach to emerging health concerns.
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