Organizational self-assessment

The organizational assessment is a self-study of the community health board’s ability to meet the national public health standards. It determines the community health board’s strengths and areas for improvement.

Background
MDH assistance 
1. Read standards and measures
2. Review against standards and measures 
3. Communicate findings

The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) standards and measures for public health departments aim to help create a "high-performing governmental public health system that will make the United States a healthier nation" (Source: About PHAB). Though PHAB developed the standards and measures for the purpose of accreditation, the standards and measures allow community health boards and tribal health departments in Minnesota to assess themselves consistently, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.

Upon completing the organizational assessment, community health boards can identify three standards most in need of improvement. These standards can inform an organization’s strategic plan and quality improvement plan.

Community health boards should consider repeating an organizational assessment every two years, to inform ongoing strategic and quality improvement planning.

MDH has designed all assessment and planning guidance to help community health boards meet national public health standards developed by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).

Public health system consultants and staff from the MDH Center for Public Health Practice can help your community health board with its organizational assessment. To find your community health board’s public health system consultant, visit: Who is my public health system consultant?

To contact MDH, visit: Help and technical assistance.

Review the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) Standards and Measures for public health departments.

Download ►PHAB standards and measures version 1.5, adopted December 2013 (PDF)

PHAB has grouped the standards and measures into 12 domains, covering 12 broad areas of public health services. The first 10 domains address the ten essential public health services. The final two domains cover a department’s administration and governance.

These standards and measures note the required level of achievement a department must meet to achieve national public health accreditation. MDH realizes not all local public health departments or community health boards will apply for accreditation. However, MDH uses the standards and measures to assess system-wide public health performance across the State of Minnesota, and note successes and areas for improvement.

Once you are familiar with the standards and measures, review them once again using the Organizational Assessment Tool.

Download ►Organizational assessment against standards and measures (DOC)

Unless indicated otherwise, local and tribal health departments should review all standards and measures. Measures pertaining only to local public health or only to tribal public health are noted as such.

2a. Review measures

Determine the extent to which your community health board meets each measure, and can demonstrate this with supporting documentation. You can find specific examples of documentation in the full PHAB standards and measures version 1.5, December 2013 (PDF). Determine whether your community health board can fully demonstrate meeting the measure, largely demonstrate, slightly demonstrate, or not demonstrate.

2b. Review standards

Next, review each standard as a whole. Consider the community health board’s ability to meet the measures in each standard, and what that means for the organization’s ability to meet the entire standard. Determine whether your community health board can fully demonstrate meeting the measure, largely demonstrate, slightly demonstrate, or not demonstrate.

2c. Note standards in need of improvement

Review your self-assessment, and note which standards you have rated the "lowest," as not demonstrated or slightly demonstrated.

Finally, share this information with your community health board’s quality improvement council or team, and with those participating in the organization’s strategic planning process.

Download ►Communications plan (DOC)