Bureau of Planning & Performance

The Bureau of Planning and Performance ensures that the Office of Public Health is a high-performing public health agency that meets or exceeds national standards for public health accreditation and advances health equity. Focus areas include workforce development, performance management, quality improvement, strategic planning, and State Health Assessment / State Health Improvement Plan development and implementation.

The Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Public Health achieved national accreditation through the PublicHealth Accreditation Board (PHAB) in March of 2019. The national accreditation program works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing and ultimately transforming the quality and  performance of the nation’s state, local, tribal and territorial health departments.

To receive accreditation, a health department must undergo a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure it meets or exceeds a set of quality standards and measures.  Accreditation demonstrates that OPH has been rigorously examined and meets or exceeds national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health.

The Public Health Accreditation Board is jointly supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. According to the board, accreditation is assurance that programs and services provided by local health departments are as responsive as possible to the needs of communities.

As initial accreditation is for 5 years, OPH will apply for reaccreditation in 2024.

For more information:

• Public Health Accreditation Board (https://phaboard.org)
• Report: The Value and Impact of Public Health Department Initial Accreditation (https://phaboard.org/wp-content/uploads/Value-and-Impact-Final-June2020.pdf)