Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department Awarded $5,000

Wisner, NE (January 30, 2014) Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department has been awarded $5,000 to support its progress in meeting the requirements of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), the first and only voluntary national accreditation program for public health departments. ELVPHD is one of 29 local health departments from 19 states to receive this funding through the Accreditation Support Initiative (ASI). A total of 147 local health departments of all sizes and types, ranging from rural to urban applied for funding.

The ASI was created in 2011 to promote national accreditation readiness among a greater number of local health departments and support their varying needs to reach accreditation. Funding for the ASI is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CDC) and administered by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

“Quality improvement is one of the most important investments a local health department can make – always seeking ways to do things better, more efficiently, with just the right amount of resources, and with a greater impact,” said NACCHO Executive Director Robert M. Pestronk. “As a participant in this initiative, the Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department is taking a big step to ensure better health for the people of Burt, Cuming, Stanton and Madison Counties in Nebraska.”

ELVPHD received funding under the general category of workforce development. The department will use the grant for assessing staff on the Core Competencies for Public Health, developing an agency-wide training schedule, developing individual staff training and development plans, and developing a Workforce Development Plan

Gina Uhing, Health Director for ELVPHD stated, “This funding was received at the perfect time for our department as we work to fulfill the PHAB standards. We intend to use the funds to assist us in creating staff development plans. Having such plans in place will help us to assure that all of our staff receives high quality training, which will in turn increase the quality of our services to the public as our ultimate goal. We truly appreciate the assistance from CDC and NACCHO in helping us achieve this goal.”

More information, including a full list of selected local health departments and descriptions of the work they have been funded to complete, can be found at www.naccho.org/asi.

*Disclaimer: Awards are pending execution of a contract with NACCHO and successful completion of project deliverables.

About Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department

Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department was created in 2002 to serve the citizens of Madison, Stanton, Burt and Cuming counties in Nebraska.  Located in Wisner, with a satellite office in Norfolk, the focus of the department is healthy lifestyle management and disease prevention with approximately 25 programs initiated to maximize the wellness and safety of our constituents.  Visit www.elvphd.org to learn more about the available programs.

About the National Association of County and City Health Officials

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s 2,800 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities.