Monterey County Health Department wins five-year reaccreditation, pledges focus on equity and community partnerships

The Monterey County Health Department announced June 3 that it has received national public health reaccreditation and will remain accredited for five years, county officials said at a news briefing.

"We have received our accreditation and we'll be accredited for the next 5 years," said Elsa Jimenez, Director of the Monterey County Health Department, describing the designation as a measure that helps solidify the public's trust in local health services.

The accreditation, administered by the Public Health Accreditation Board, establishes national standards and a peer-review process for government health departments. Jimenez said Monterey County was among the earlier adopters of the program, noting the county was the 11th in California to receive accreditation in 2007 and that the reaccreditation process was delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shabbani Shumashar, the department's manager for public health accreditation, said the designation is "a milestone in our journey of continuous improvement" rather than an end point. "Over the next 5 years, we're going to continue strengthening the systems, partnerships, and practices that support Monterey County residents," Shumashar said, citing priorities identified in the county's Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.

Officials said the reaccreditation reflects work across the department and with external partners — hospitals, schools, tribal partners, community-based organizations and first responders — and emphasized efforts to advance health equity and reduce disparities. Jimenez said accreditation requires metrics, documented policies and ongoing quality-improvement processes to ensure services meet community needs.

Department leaders outlined next steps for the reaccreditation period: implementing the Community Health Improvement Plan, continuing workforce development and performance management, and maintaining annual reporting. Jimenez said staff will periodically refresh policies and documentation, with a formal refresh of materials beginning roughly 12 months before the accreditation period ends.

The briefing also referenced a separate agenda item: the county's Community Climate Action and Adaptation Plan public comment period. The county invited Hannah Kornfield, who has worked on the plan, to speak but technical difficulties prevented her from joining live; officials said the county will provide the climate-plan comment-period details at the next briefing.

County officials said they are grateful to staff and community partners for the work that secured reaccreditation and urged residents and stakeholders to engage with the Community Health Improvement Plan as it is implemented.