LAUSR

This case study presents the “back story” behind the development of national public health department accreditation through the lens of a strategic change management framework and as told by the leadership of the 4 founding national public health organizations. Although key elements related to the strategy of using accreditation to strengthen governmental public health had been suggested for decades, a series of deliberate actions created the momentum and political will to accomplish what had been only a proposed solution to a myriad of problems. The case will explore these actions, provide a description of the analysis of the internal and external environment facing public health at the time, and describe how the strategies were developed and implemented that led to the development of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) in 2007.