When it came to being reaccredited, the Beaufort County Health Department passed with flying colors.

 

That speaks well of the Beaufort County Board of Health, Roxanne Holloman — who retires today from her post as the department’s director — and the department’s staff. Earning reaccreditation, especially in the health-care field, is not an easy process.

 

What is impressive is that the department scored well during the evaluation process of the reaccreditation effort. Stan Cohen, chairman of the health board, is proud of that accomplishment.

 

Cohen said there were activities the department needed to meet during the reaccreditation inspection. The department met 147 of them, with the lone item not passed being “out of the health department’s hands,” Cohen said. A Beaufort County department that’s designated as smoke-free but not tobacco-free kept the health department from meeting all 148 activities, he said.

 

Perhaps the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners can do something to remove that lone blemish on the health department’s reaccreditation record.

 

 “The Accreditation Board has a true appreciation for all of the hard work completed by the Board of Health and the rest of the health department staff,” reads the letter from the N.C. Local Health Department Accreditation Board. “Achieving accreditation is truly an accomplishment that your health department and community should be very proud of.

 

“The Accreditation Board truly appreciates your dedication to improving the public’s health in NC.”

 

Beaufort County residents should appreciate that dedication, too.

 

As for Holloman, the legacy she left at the health department sets a solid foundation on which the next health director can build an even better, more-efficient health department to serve Beaufort County residents.

 

“I think one of the biggest things that the Board of Health perceived and gotten from her is her interest in getting us to know more about the workings of the health department and different areas,” Cohen said. “What she has done at our regular board meetings she usually had one of the directors of one of the departments give a 15- to 20-minute talk on the department, what they do, how they function. I think it’s really brought the board a lot closer to the staff and some good relationships.”

 

That’s a legacy of which to be proud.