Culture of Quality Improvement
What is Quality Improvement?
Anytime you notice a challenge, try a different approach, and build on what works, you’re improving quality.
Health departments do this all the time, whether informally, in response to urgent needs, or as a part of a plan. However, day-to-day demands can make it difficult to step back, reflect, and intentionally build improvement into the work.
That’s where Quality Improvement (QI) comes in. QI helps make improvement a regular and supported part of how teams work by using collaboration, data, and practical methods to improve programs, services, systems, and community outcomes over time.
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Sometimes that means small everyday changes that reduce frustration or save time. Other times, it means larger efforts that strengthen how a health department serves its community.
QI FOR EVERYDAY PRACTICE
Small, rapid-cycle improvements that any staff member can initiate in any context.
ORGANIZATIONAL QI
Larger, agency-wide initiatives aligned with strategic goals.
Why Quality Improvement Matters
Building a culture of quality improvement supports:
BETTER OUTCOMES
QI strengthens program effectiveness, increases efficiency, and improves client experiences.
STRONGER TEAMS
Structured problem-solving empowers staff and boosts engagement.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Data-driven improvements lead to better health outcomes, trust, and overall experiences for NC residents.
Culture of Quality Improvement Session
In this 90-minute, hands-on virtual session, explore how to expand your agency’s view of organizational culture from a focus on compliance to one that embraces continuous quality improvement (CQI). Through real-world examples from the field, group discussion, and practical tools, you’ll discover how to integrate CQI into your daily tasks and start shifting your agency’s culture.
This session is for:
Pairs of two individuals per organization – Accreditation and Quality Improvement Team Members, Health Directors, and Agreement Addenda leads – are encouraged to RSVP together.
Learning Objectives:
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Define what culture of continuous quality improvement (CQI) is and and why it matters
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Reflect on where your organization’s CQI culture is today—and imagine what you’d like it to become.
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Identify opportunities to strengthen your CQI culture by addressing root challenges.
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Walk away with strategies to start working towards a CQI culture in your health department
Registration
The next session will take place on October 20, 2026. Please stay tuned for the registration link in the coming months. For questions, please contact Senior Program Manager, Margaret Benson Nemitz at margaret.nemitz@unc.edu.
Join our monthly QI Community Collaborative!
Attending one of our Culture of QI sessions includes an automatic invitation to our new 2026 virtual monthly Culture of QI Community Collaboratives to provide collaborative technical assistance and peer learning opportunities for health departments across North Carolina, aimed at building capacity for continuous QI. To learn more about joining the collaborative, please email Margaret Benson Nemitz, Senior Program Manager, at margaret.nemitz@unc.edu.
Share your Story
Quality improvement looks different in each agency. By sharing real-world examples, we can help each other see what a culture of QI looks like in action. Your experience — both the things that worked and those that didn’t — can spark ideas for others.
We’re collecting short stories to create North Carolina-specific resources that reflect the diversity and creativity of QI efforts across the state. We’re asking health department staff to reflect on their experiences and share in which phase they believe their agency or team may be according to NACCHO’s 6 Phases of a Culture of Quality Improvement. It’s quick, easy, and your insights will make a difference! Questions? Email Margaret Benson Nemitz at margaret.nemitz@unc.edu.