Orange County Health Department Receives Accreditation

The North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation Board has awarded the Orange County Health Department with a renewed accreditation status.

According to Orange County Health Department’s Finance and Administrative Services Division Director Rebecca Crawford, the accreditation process is crucial for health departments statewide.

“What the accreditation process does is standardize across the state all of the levels that health departments need to meet in order to best serve their clients,” says Crawford.

The accreditation site visit team made specific mention of the Family Success Alliance, which has had a significant impact on impoverished and high need communities in Orange County.

“To have them recognize this collaborative effort which is super meaningful to us really helps to gel the fact that this is something that could catch on in other jurisdictions too,” says Crawford.

The Health Department’s work with the ABC Board and the Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking to combat alcohol abuse among college students was a strong factor in receiving accreditation as well.
Crawford believes this effort could easily take place in other counties around the state.

“This is something that is easily replicable and recognizable that we are able to pull together not only the county and the university town but also the university itself and the ABC board and in conjunction with meeting and having these discussions about how to reduce underage drinking and high-risk drinking,” says Crawford.

The current accreditation status is valid until 2020.