Since 2008, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has partnered with the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) in a national effort to advance public health practice in Indian Country.  Initially, these joint efforts focused on determining the feasibility of voluntary public health accreditation for Tribal health departments.

After a thorough process of study, vetting and testing, and with input from NIHB's Tribal Public Health Accreditation Advisory Board, public health accreditation was determined to be both feasible and desirable, and the Tribal specific standards and measures for accreditation were developed. These standards can be used to reinforce the role of public health in Tribal communities and can help Tribal health departments achieve performance excellence.

In 2011, the national voluntary public health accreditation process was opened to all Tribal, state, local and territorial health departments.

We invite you to explore this Center's webpages where you can learn more about accreditation, including the benefits of accreditation, steps in the accreditation process, and how to get started.  We also welcome visitors who are new to public health. This Center contains information on public health more generally, answering questions such as: What is public health? and What are the core functions of public health?

Whether you are new to accreditation or already familiar with the process, we also invite you to join our Online Learning Community. Joining is free and allows you to post on our Discussion Board and share documents, tools and information on our Community Sharing page.

 As always, the National Indian Health Board welcomes your comments, questions and suggestions and encourages you to contact us if we can provide assistance as you navigate this site and explore public health accreditation.