FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2025
Huntington, WV — The Cabell-Huntington Health Department today announced it has successfully completed a review process to maintain its national accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). By maintaining its accreditation for another five years, the Cabell-Huntington Health Department has demonstrated that it meets PHAB’s quality standards and measures and has the capacity to continue evolving, improving, and advancing the health of the residents of Huntington and Cabell County.
The non-profit PHAB works to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure, and innovation. PHAB’s accreditation program, which receives support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sets standards against which the nation’s governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance.
“Earning PHAB reaccreditation reaffirms our commitment to providing the highest standard of public health services to the residents of Cabell County and the City of Huntington,” said Dr. Michael Kilkenny, CEO and Health Officer. “This recognition reflects the hard work of our entire team and our dedication to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. Most importantly, it demonstrates to our community that they can rely on us to protect their health, respond to emerging challenges, and advance the well-being of every person we serve.”
The Cabell-Huntington Health Department achieved national initial accreditation status through PHAB in March 2019, after undergoing a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure it met a set of quality standards and measures. Today’s announcement goes a step further by demonstrating that the Cabell-Huntington Health Department has the capacity to become increasingly effective in improving the community’s health.
“We are pleased to see the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, 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.”
Often called the “backbone” of the public health system, public health departments are on the front lines of communities’ efforts to protect and promote health and prevent disease and injury. PHAB-accredited health departments demonstrate outstanding leadership by placing their work for peer review, with the goal of using the feedback obtained during the process to improve the services they provide to their communities.
About the Cabell-Huntington Health Department
The Cabell Huntington Health Department works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Huntington and Cabell County. Learn more about the Cabell-Huntington Health Department at www.cabellhealth.org. For more information, please contact Leland Steele, Director of Communications at leland.steele@chhdwv.gov or via phone at (304) 523-6483, x273.
About the Public Health Accreditation Board
The Public Health Accreditation Board (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. Vital Records/Health Statistics accreditation is funded, in part, by the National Center for Health Statistics. 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. For more information, contact PHAB Communications at communications@phaboard.org. Learn more about PHAB and accreditation at www.phaboard.org.
