An Accredited Local Health Department’s Use of the QI Roadmap to Build a Culture of Quality

Studies that exist on quality improvement efforts within local health departments indicate that there needs to be clearer approaches for achieving a culture of quality. This study describes how a local health department used the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO’s) Roadmap to an Organizational Culture of Quality Improvement (QI Roadmap) to successfully build a quality culture on its journey to becoming accredited, as reflected in results from a February 2016 survey. Local health departments who invest in and promote QI efforts that are aligned with strategic priorities; establish the necessary infrastructure to regularly track and report performance data, including customer service data; expand the use of different types of teams; offer opportunities to identify areas of improvement and trainings; and promote resources for using various improvement models can establish a solid foundation in QI leading to accreditation