LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — GNR Public Health, the health department for Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale counties, was reaccredited this month by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). 

GNR is one of five health departments in Georgia — including the Georgia Department of Public Health — that has achieved accreditation and is now the second health department in Georgia to earn reaccreditation.

 Dr. Audrey Arona, CEO and district health director of GNR Public Health, said, “Our work to maintain our status as an accredited health department shows our commitment to keeping our communities healthy, protected and prepared.

"The standards and measures set forth by PHAB highlight important community health efforts in which we are engaged in all three counties we serve. We’re so pleased to have met the standards upon reaccreditation with no issue.”

PHAB serves as the national accrediting body for public health and assesses a health department’s capacity to carry out 10 essential public health services and foundational capabilities. Each is built on evidence-based standards that allow health departments to demonstrate performance and accountability to communities, policymakers, and other stakeholders. By meeting foundational capabilities, agencies like GNR Public Health are recognized as promoting quality and performance improvement, increasing capacity to respond to public health emergencies, and identifying health priorities through a health equity lens.

 GNR Public Health will maintain accreditation for five years, during which standardized progress reports will be submitted for ongoing evaluation by PHAB. 

“Our continued progress is our opportunity to show how our valuable work impacts the lives of our community,” said Arona. “But most importantly it allows us to highlight innovation in our health department that is reviewed and critiqued by other health departments across the nation. It’s our opportunity to serve as a model for many agencies.”

More information about public health accreditation is available at www.phaboard.org.