Michigan Local Public Health Accreditation Program

Michigan’s Local Public Health Accreditation Program entered a pause in March of 2020 to enable local health departments to focus on their response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. When it came time to consider restarting Accreditation activities, MPHI and partners from the state and local health departments across Michigan engaged in a series of discussions to determine the best path forward, considering the current reality of Michigan’s local public health system, its challenges, and needs. To respond to these factors, Accreditation restarted utilizing a capacity building approach, rather than restarting the program as it operated prior to the pandemic. Accreditation’s current cycle, Cycle 8, will engage local health departments in site visits, recognizing strengths, identifying needs, and utilizing this information to organize responsive supports that will enable local health departments to meet Minimum Program requirements moving forward. Local health department partners have expressed appreciation for this approach, and site visits have been supportive of workforce development for newer staff who were hired during the pandemic.