Editor:

I am writing to tell your readers how proud they should be of Preble County General Health District for recently earning accreditation from the national Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).

Preble County General Health District joins only 12 other local health districts across the state and the Ohio Department of Health with PHAB accreditation. They are also one of only 115 local health departments that have received accreditation across the U.S.

PHAB is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving and protecting the health of the public by advancing and ultimately transforming the quality and performance of the nation’s public health departments. Accreditation demonstrates that a public health agency meets or exceeds a common set of national standards; has the capacity to provide core public health services; and is continually striving to improve service, value, and accountability to the residents it serves.

Pursuing and achieving PHAB accreditation is not easy and takes a significant investment of time and effort, and Health Commissioner Erik Balster and Preble County General Health District staff can be justifiably proud of this achievement.

Rick Hodges

Director, Ohio Department of Health