Warren County Health Department Awarded Reaccreditation Designation

Warren County Health Department was among ten local health departments that were accredited by the North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation (NCLHDA) Board on November 21, 2025. The health department’s Accreditation Team traveled to Raleigh to participate in the meeting with the state board which included responding to questions from the board about their agency and services. Wes Gray, the Site Visit Team Lead shared highlights from their visit to Warren County and identified best practice programs implemented by the health department. The accreditation period is from November 21, 2025 – November 21, 2029.

“Congratulations to each health department who has newly completed an accreditation cycle. Accreditation is a quality improvement process to assure that core public health services are provided in all North Carolina counties and add value in local communities. The accreditation process requires teamwork and dedication from health department staff, Boards of Health members, peer 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 thorough standards established by the NCLHDA Program. Well done!” comments Margaret Benson Nemitz, NC Local Health Department Accreditation Administrator.

Warren County Health Department was one of seven agencies that achieved “Accreditation with Honors.” The department successfully achieved 146 out of 147 required activities reviewed during the accreditation process. 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. Since its inception, this is the second time that Warren County Health Department has received Accreditation with Honors. Dr. Margaret Brake, Health Director stated “I am extremely proud of our entire staff whose dedication and hard work are why we are successful in our mission of protecting and improving the health of all of our residents. I also express my appreciation to our county administration, Board of Health, commissioners and community partners who support and contribute to our public health efforts.”

North Carolina was the first state in the country to mandate accreditation for its local health departments in 2005. 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 a 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 administered by 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) through collaboration with the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors.