Public health department puts 'best foot forward'

July 03--Though a winter blizzard delayed the process for months, Olmsted County Public Health finally hit a goal it's been striving for since 2011.

The national Public Health Accreditation Board announced June 13 that the Pete Giesen-led department was one of 11 across the country to achieve accreditation status, including the first in outstate Minnesota. It's just the eighth department in the state to earn that distinction -- that includes the Minnesota Department of Health in 2014.

Giesen says the national recognition is an affirmation of all the hard work his staff has put in -- even if it was a slightly delayed gratification. A community celebration is being planned for later this month. Details are still being finalized.

"Our process probably took a little bit longer than others, but that's alright," Giesen said. "We weren't looking to rush through it. We really wanted to put our best foot forward.

"We're thrilled and I clearly have a bias of being proud of this, but the biggest part is this county board has been really supportive of public health over the years. There's been great leadership ... and it reflects a community that puts health as a priority."

The Public Health Accreditation Board was dreamt up in 2008 before being officially established in 2013. It's located in Virginia. The voluntary accreditation program is designed to improve and protect public health by "advancing the quality and performance" of the departments in charge.

PHAB spokesman Teddi Nicolaus says that "several" other Minnesota departments are currently going through the accreditation process. A confidentiality policy prohibits identifying those departments by name.

Nina Arneson, director of Goodhue County Health and Human Services, said that her department is about halfway through the accreditation process.

"Olmsted County residents can be very proud of the work that is taking place at Olmsted County Public Health and what the department has accomplished with Pete Giesen's leadership," Arneson said.

Earning national accreditation is a complicated, seven-step process that requires months of review, an on-site visit to communicate with local stakeholders, and a significant amount of documentation. It's that last step that was the biggest hurdle for Olmsted County Public Health.

Giesen says his 110-employee department was already meeting the 12 standards of the accreditation board when he started the push. However, an increased amount of paperwork was required to confirm OCPHS's efforts, which include such things as community engagement, evidence-based practices and investigating health problems and environment hazards to protect the community, among nine other standards.

The accreditation designation is good for five years, but it doesn't have any tangible benefits -- yet. Giesen is hopeful that monetary rewards will eventually come.

For now, the designation is reward enough.

"We're just proud of getting to this point," Giesen said. "There's a lot of health departments who are very good throughout the state, but this is a valuable process. Getting to this point reflects the work of many years of providing quality service to this community."

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