TRENTON, NJ - The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) achieved national Reaccreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) as announced last week, demonstrating its commitment to continuous quality improvement, public health services, leadership, and accountability.

NJDOH is one of 40 states, 402 local health departments, and seven Tribal health departments accredited by PHAB, out of 3,500+ government public health agencies. In New Jersey, six local health departments are accredited by PHAB, including Princeton Health Department which also achieved national reaccreditation this month.

“Maintaining our accreditation reflects this Department’s ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality public health services,” said Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown. “This recognition highlights our team’s hard work and our continuous efforts to enhance and improve the health and well-being of all New Jersey residents.”

To maintain accreditation status, the Department of Health was evaluated against a set of nationally recognized, practice-focused, and evidence-based standards five years after its initial accreditation status was awarded on June 6, 2017. Reaccreditation ensures that accredited health departments continue to evolve, improve, and advance their public health practice to serve their community.

The national accreditation program assesses a health department’s capacity to carry out the 10 Essential Public Health Services and the Foundational Capabilities.

“The PHAB Reaccreditation decision for the Department is a testament to the hard work and dedication of its staff who are committed to providing quality programs and services to the residents of New Jersey,” said Loretta Kelly, NJDOH Reaccreditation Lead.

Public health departments serve as the frontlines for improving and protecting the health and well-being of people and communities. Accreditation provides departments with a framework for setting priorities and gives valuable, measurable feedback about how they are performing.

In New Jersey, Mount Olive Township Health Department was also awarded the Pathways Acknowledgement on April 14, 2025. The Pathways Recognition program assesses a health department’s capacity to carry out the Foundational Capabilities and

is designed for smaller health departments that are not yet ready to apply for full accreditation but want to demonstrate their public health capacity and/or move toward accreditation.

In addition to the State health department, the following local health departments in New Jersey are accredited by PHAB:

· Camden County Health Department (Blackwood, NJ)

· Clifton Health Department (Clifton, NJ)

· Monmouth County Regional Health Commission #1 (Ocean, NJ)

· Montgomery Township Health Department (Belle Mead, NJ)

· Princeton Health Department (Princeton, NJ) (*reaccredited May 2025)

· Township of Bloomfield Department of Health & Human Services (Bloomfield, NJ) (*reaccredited May 2023)

"We are pleased to see the New Jersey Department of Health, along with many others, successfully maintaining their five-year PHAB accreditation," said PHAB President and CEO Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MD, MPH, FACEP. "This demonstrates that accreditation is not just a one-time achievement but an ongoing commitment to excellence. By maintaining accreditation, these health departments reaffirm their dedication to continuous improvement and community health."

PHAB is the only national accrediting body for state, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments in the U.S. Through its programs, PHAB advances quality and performance, supports strong public health infrastructure, and promotes innovation in practice. PHAB Accreditation is considered the gold standard in measuring public health quality and performance.

PHAB was created to serve as the national public health accrediting body and is jointly funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The development of national public health department accreditation has involved, and is supported by, public health leaders and practitioners from the national, state, local, Tribal, and territorial levels.

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The New Jersey Department of Health is a nationally accredited health department working to ensure that all New Jerseyans live long, healthy lives and reach their fullest potential. With more than 5,500 employees, the Department serves to protect the public’s health, promote healthy communities, and continue to improve the quality of health care in New Jersey. 

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