Sampson County Health Department Reaccredited with Honors
Published on May 22, 2025
The Sampson County Health Department is proud to announce its reaccreditation!
On May 9, 2025, the department was one of 13 health departments recognized by the NC Local Health Department Accreditation Board. It was also honored to be among the 10 agencies awarded Accreditation with Honors.
This distinction highlights the dedication of the department’s staff and the ongoing support of its community partners, who play an important role in serving the residents of Sampson County every day.
(Picture from left to right: Luke Smith - Public Health Educator II; Kelly Parrish - Public Health Nurse Director I; Wanda Robinson - Director, Local Health; Cherish Allen - Administrative Assistant II)
Details of the press release from NC Local Health Department Accreditation:
May 21, 2025
NEWS
For Immediate Use
Sampson County Health Department Awarded Reaccreditation Designation
Thirteen health departments were reaccredited by the North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation (NCLHDA) Board on May 9, 2025. They are Albemarle Regional Health Services, Bladen County Health Department, Columbus County Health Department, Gaston County Public Health, Guilford County Department of Public Health, Jackson County Department of Public Health, Mecklenburg County Public Health Department, Montgomery County Department of Health, Pitt County Health Department, Robeson County Health Department, Rockingham County Health Department, Sampson County Health Department, and Wilkes County Health Department.
“We celebrate each health department who has newly completed an accreditation cycle. Accreditation is a quality improvement process to help agencies identify strengths and opportunities as health departments work daily to serve their communities. The accreditation process requires teamwork and dedication from health department staff, Boards of Health members, site visitors, and Accreditation Board members, all working together to identify, clarify, verify, and amplify the quality work taking place across our state. Each of these agencies has demonstrated their ability to maintain and/or exceed the standards established by the NCLHDA program, including throughout their COVID response. Congratulations!” comments Margaret Benson Nemitz, NC Local Health Department Accreditation Administrator.
Accreditation with Honors designation was awarded to ten agencies – Albemarle Regional Health Services, Columbus County Health Department, Guilford County Department of Public Health, Jackson County Department of Public Health, Mecklenburg County Public Health Department, Montgomery County Department of Health, Pitt County Health Department, Rockingham County Health Department, Sampson County Health Department, and Wilkes County Health Department. This honorary designation was implemented for the first time in Fall of 2017 to recognize agencies that especially excelled in their accreditation assessment by missing one or less activities within each of five standards set by the NCLHDA Program. The program is especially pleased to see that this special recognition was achieved by such a diverse group of local health departments.
North Carolina is the first state in the country to mandate accreditation for its local health departments. The focus of North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation (NCLHDA) is to assure that core public health services are provided and promote quality improvement in order to add value in local communities.
The process of accreditation includes three major components – a self-assessment completed by the agency, a site visit by a multidisciplinary team of peers to review performance standards, and determination of accreditation status by an independent Accreditation Board comprised of state and local public health officials, Board of Health members, County Commissioners, and at large members.
The NC Local Health Department Accreditation Program is a collaboration of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health (part of the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors.
Contact: Margaret Benson Nemitz, NCLHDA Accreditation Administrator at NCIPH, 919.966.3309, margaret.nemitz@unc.edu