Because accreditation signifies that an institution has met agreed-upon standards of quality and that it ascribes to them as a measure of the services it offers, public health laboratories want to lead the accreditation movement within their industry. They expect to participate fully in the formulation of the quality standards to which they will be held. APHL has been at the forefront of this movement and monitors the progress of the newly formed Public Health Accreditation Board whose purpose is to promote accountability and quality improvement in public health agencies.
As the board’s activities unfold, APHL will stay on top of what develops and relay the potential impact to state and local public health laboratories.