BREWSTER, NY—The Putnam County Department of Health announced today that it has successfully completed a thorough review to maintain national accreditation status by the Public Health Accreditation Board. The department was initially accredited by the organization, simply known as PHAB, in 2016, becoming the first local health department in the Hudson Valley and one of only 200 nationwide to achieve the honor at the time. Now the growing network of accredited health departments exceeds 400 state, local and tribal health departments. By meeting the quality standards and measures of PHAB, the health department has demonstrated it has the capacity to continue to evolve, improve and advance the health of Putnam residents.

“This hard-won achievement is the result of high-quality and focused work by our health department,” said County Executive Kevin Byrne. “We have a number of exceptional public servants throughout county government, but today, it is Dr. Nesheiwat and his team who deserve the credit for all they have built, and it is certainly worthy of recognition. This announcement should also reassure partner organizations, funders, and my colleagues in government that the services from the health department are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community.” 

Interim commissioner Michael J. Nesheiwat, MD, explained further that, “When Putnam County and indeed the entire country shut down in March 2020, our health department had already made great advances incorporating the main tenets of accreditation into our culture. These tenets, particularly our focus on quality improvement and performance management have grown to become foundational to our work. It is only because of the commitment of our staff that the high standards PHAB has set, can be met.”

Launched in 2011, the non-profit PHAB works to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure, and innovation. PHAB’s accreditation program, which receives support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sets standards against which the nation’s governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PHAB supported these departments by maintaining flexibility with the accreditation deadlines.

PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN, congratulated the health department as well, saying “In successfully maintaining their five-year accreditation status through PHAB, the Putnam County Department of Health, along with many others, are assuring their communities that the value of accreditation is long-term—not a one-time recognition—and that continual improvement is the hallmark of a 21st century organization.”

The mission of the Putnam County Department of Health is to improve and protect the health of the Putnam County community. The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), serves a community composed of nearly 100,000 residents. Core services are provided through a lens of equity, and include community health assessment, disease surveillance and control, emergency preparedness, environmental health protection, family health promotion and health education. For more information, please visit the County website at www.putnamcountyny.com, or visit our social media sites on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram @PutnamHealthNY.