All state health departments who intend to apply for PHAB accreditation must complete three agency-wide processes before applying for national accreditation:

• State Health Assessment (SHA)
• State Health Improvement plan (SHIP)
• Agency Strategic Plan (SP)

According to PHAB, a State Health Assessment is a collaborative process of collecting and analyzing data and information for use in educating and mobilizing communities, developing priorities, garnering resources, and planning actions to improve the population’s health. Below please find examples from states who have completed a state-wide assessment process.

• Oklahoma State Department of Health Department of Health
• Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services
• Illinois Department of Public Health
• Michigan Department of Community Health
• Iowa Department of Health
• Washington State Department of Health
• Minnesota Department of Health
• New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

According to PHAB a State Health Improvement Plan is a long-term, systematic plan to address issues identified in the state health assessment. ASTHO has developed a SHIP Guidance and Resource Document that provides a suggested framework for state health improvement planning, including a comprehensive collection of resources and state examples.

All state and territorial health agencies who apply for accreditation will be evaluated based on documentation that conforms to the PHAB Standards and Measures Version 1.0.

ASTHO has developed organizational materials to assist state health agency staff collect and organize documentation that will be submitted for accreditation

• State Document Evidence Template
• Accreditation Timeline
• State Accreditation Analysis Tool

Connecting with colleagues and sharing best practices is an important component to advancing state capacity to successfully appy for PHAB accreditation. ASTHO has created an Accreditation Coordinator Learning Community, which serves as a peer network of state health agency accreditation coordinators who want to enhance their knowledge of the PHAB Accreditation process and exchange accreditation related resourcs. Please contact Joya Coffman for more information.

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