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Accreditation Mentor Program

Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant

2019–2020

Opportunity

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health (DPH), Office of Policy and Practice Alignment (OPPA), is pleased to announce a new round of accreditation mentoring to assist local and tribal health departments choosing to work towards formal accreditation recognition.

The program offers support for Wisconsin local and tribal health departments to receive one-on-one mentoring from an accredited Wisconsin health department. This will include a combination of in-person and remote coaching related to the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation process. Mentors will share tips toward successful completion of accreditation processes, including application and site visit preparations.

Mentees and mentors are expected to participate in quarterly reporting and program evaluation with DPH Regional Office OPPA staff.

This project is supported in part by Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant funding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and made possible through the generous provision of time and expertise from leaders of our state’s accredited health departments. The PHHS Block Grant supports eligible mentor and mentee agencies with funds that will assist in the successful implementation of their respective mentor program goals. Funding awards will be announced once suitable matches have been accepted by each participating agency.

Eligibility

Mentee: Any local or tribal health department (LTHD) in Wisconsin that has submitted an application to PHAB, or is planning to do so within 12 months, is eligible to apply. Please note that mentee agencies from 2018–2019 interested in continuing in this program are eligible to apply.

Mentor: Any local or tribal health department (LTHD) in Wisconsin that is accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, and is interested in advancing the practice of public health in Wisconsin by assisting others in implementing the National Health Performance Standards as required by PHAB. Please note that mentor agencies from 2018–2019 are eligible to apply.

To Apply

Interested mentee agencies should:

Interested mentor agencies should:

Special notice regarding continuation of pilot year mentor and mentee pairings:

Agencies from the program year of 2018–2019 are eligible to apply for the new program year, which is October 1, 2019–September 30, 2020. There are changes to the PHHS Accreditation Mentor Program Objective that prospective mentor agencies should review.

Continuation of 2018–2019 matched agencies will only be considered when all of the following are complete:

  1. Mentor and Mentee complete respective application for 2019–2020.
  2. Mentor and Mentee agree to follow 2019–2020 PHHS Accreditation Mentor Program Objectives.
  3. Both parties have communicated via email or in writing to OPPA of their agreement to continue the mentor and mentee relationship as established.

NOTE: OPPA retains final decision-making authority of all matches and re-matches in the PHHS Accreditation Mentor Program.

Selection

Mentee applications will be reviewed and scored based on the following criteria:

  • Completed or intended PHAB application submission date
  • Level of accreditation readiness based on agency's stage within the process
  • Board of health support
  • Clarity of narrative describing expected benefit of mentoring experience and agency's accreditation goals

Mentor applications will be reviewed and the following will be considered during match decision-making:

  • Agency's mentoring goals
  • Capacity to fulfill mentoring assistance as outlined in the PHHS objective

Applicants will be notified within 30 days of receipt of their application regarding their status in the program.

Please note: Neither past program participation, nor submission of completed applications, nor expressed interest by accredited agencies to serve as mentors, guarantees that an agency will be successfully matched or rematched for the PHHS contract year. We do our best to make appropriate matches in consideration of agency size and staff capacity, accreditation and re-accreditation process status, distance between agencies, and specific requests.

DPH administration of this program is entirely funded, up to $50,000, by Wisconsin’s PHHS Block Grant award.

Questions?

Please submit your questions to:
Charlotte Ahrens or Christa Cupp


Funding for this project was made possible, in part, by the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Last revised January 9, 2024