Advancing the Achievement of National Accreditation in Military Departments of Public Health

In September 2022, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and Defense Health Agency (DHA) Public Health renewed their collaborative efforts to strengthen public health practice, promote continuous quality improvement, and improve consistency across departments of public health (DPHs) on military installations (e.g., bases, camps, posts, and stations) through public health accreditation. This collaboration highlights the vital role that military installation DPHs play in protecting and promoting the health of U.S. military service members, their families, civilian employees, and the retired service members served by these departments.

PHAB administers the national public health accreditation program, which is grounded in two nationally recognized frameworks: the Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) and the 10 Essential Public Health Services (EPHS). Public health accreditation not only ensures that health departments meet national public health performance and quality standards; it also enhances and demonstrates the departments’ capacity to prevent—or respond effectively to—public health challenges.

In Fall 2022, following the release of PHAB’s Version 2022 of the Standards & Measures—referred to as “The Standards”—PHAB and DHA Public Health, an organization within the U.S. Department of Defense that supports military DPHs, among other functions, collaborated to develop supplemental guidance to support the interpretation of The Standards. The process included a review of all sets of The Standards; site visit reports; and lessons learned from accredited military DPHs. The final supplemental guidance includes examples of military installation public health partnerships, programs, services, functions, and business operations, and clarification on specific requirements, but does not change The Standards for military applicants. The guidance is intended to improve clarity for military DPHs and the PHAB site visitors who conduct accreditation reviews. To further support accreditation, PHAB and DHA Public Health tailored the relevant PHAB policies for military installation DPHs, and DHA Public Health centralized contracting and funding of accreditation fees. Lastly, PHAB is working to increase the number of trained site visitors who have military experience to ensure the process reflects peer review for applicant military DPHs.

In August 2023, ten military DPHs were selected to participate in a cohort for pursuing public health accreditation or recognition. This cohort was chosen based on population size served, geographic location, staff capacity, scope of services, and prior departmental performance indicators.

From October 2023 to February 2024, the cohort completed the required PHAB training and the PHAB Readiness Assessment, which evaluates a health department’s readiness to pursue accreditation, identifies its strengths and areas for improvement, and assesses capacity in key areas of public health. Using those results, each department made informed decisions on whether to pursue Pathways Recognition or Initial Accreditation, and is working on quality improvement efforts that will advance accreditation readiness.  

As one of multiple PHAB tools for transformation, the PHAB Readiness Assessment results also provided DHA Public Health with a snapshot of the collective capacity of these identified DPHs.

DHA Public Health recently began fostering a learning community approach to accreditation and reaccreditation and is leveraging PHAB training and assistance in doing so. Further, DHA Public Health and PHAB anticipate leveraging insights and experiences from the DPHs in the FY24 cohort, as well as those DPHs already accredited, to support performance improvement and accreditation preparation for additional military installation DPHs. Such actions further demonstrate a collective commitment to improving health across the nation, as threats to the public’s health don’t start or stop at the gates of a military installation.

Additional details, including the most recent information about Military Installation Department of Public Health Accreditation, can be accessed on the DHA Public Health Accreditation Program and PHAB Military Installation Department of Public Health Accreditation websites.

The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Defense, the Defense Health Agency, or the U.S. Government. The mention of any non-federal entity and/or its products is for informational purposes only, and is not to be construed or interpreted, in any manner, as federal endorsement of that non-federal entity or its products.

Lauren Shirey Ogledzinski, MPH, is a Public Health Program Manager at the Defense Health Agency, a U.S. Department of Defense organization providing healthcare and public health services to U.S. Military Service Members, their Families, and more. She oversees public health accreditation of military installation departments of public health and leads strategic and cross-cutting projects. Her career spans two decades working in community health assessment and improvement planning, accreditation, and program planning and evaluation. Lauren began working in military prevention and public health in 2013, and previously worked in and supported local health departments. Lauren holds a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan.

Jill Long has been an Operations Manager and Contracting Officer’s Representative at Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen since December 2019. She supports the Health Promotion and Wellness Directorate and oversees management of several contracts. Ms. Long earned a Master of Business Administration from Wingate University and Bachelor of Science degrees in Applied Exercise Science and Athletic Training from Methodist University.

Christine Velasquez is an Environmental Protection Specialist for the Defense Health Agency, Public Health Directorate, with over 30 years’ experience in project management, environmental consulting, and environmental compliance auditing.  She has extensive knowledge and experience in the implementation and sustainment of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and served many years as a certified International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 EMS Lead Auditor for the Department of Defense.  She contributes her significant experience in environmental health and quality management systems as an advisor to the Defense Public Health Accreditation Program, where she provides consultation and support to Military Installation Departments of Public Health in their pursuit of public health accreditation.

Abimbola Daferiogho, MPH, is a Health Statistician at the Defense Health Agency with over 10 years’ experience in the field of public health. Her experience includes epidemiological research, data science, disease surveillance, program evaluation, performance improvement, public health accreditation, health promotion, policy analysis, project management and coordination, and evidence-based program development. Previously, she worked in clinical research with the pediatric population in translational science. Abimbola has a flair for evidence based public health practices and using data to inform policy for the field of public health. She holds a Master of Public Health degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Marita Chilton, MPH, is the Director of Accreditation at PHAB, where she is responsible for managing the operations of the accreditation program. Prior to joining PHAB in 2011, Marita was a Project Coordinator at the National Association of Local Boards of Health. She holds a Master’s in Public Health from American Public University, a graduate certificate in Leadership and Management from the University of Notre Dame College of Business, and undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Intercultural Studies from Fresno Pacific University.

Emily Frantz, MPH serves as a senior specialist within PHAB’s Accreditation & Recognition Team Prior to joining PHAB, she managed a consulting firm, ALPHA, LLC, designed to support local health departments pursuing accreditation in multiple states. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Emory University with emphasis in Health Policy & Management and Bachelor of Communication Science from Michigan State University.