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As nearly 3,000 local health agencies serving United States cities and counties contended with a fragile public health infrastructure across a global pandemic, the importance of ongoing local health department (LHD) quality improvement (QI) of standards, performance, and population health became widely recognized. However, resource constraints hampered agency QI implementation, including pursuit of voluntary national accreditation. This study used a mixed methods approach to assess characteristics by asking: What are the barriers and facilitators to improve readiness for national accreditation of local health departments in Massachusetts? Three aims further define this study: First, LHD profiles from a national survey data repository were examined to gauge trends of organizational interest and feasibility. Second, interviews with Massachusetts LHD directors were conducted to better characterize resource constraints and QI experiences. Third, these data informed a pathways-aligned plan for change to improve capacity for QI and progress toward accreditation among Massachusetts LHDs. |
