State health agency


A state health agency, or state department of health, is a department or agency of the state governments of the United States focused on public health. The state secretary of health is a constitutional or at times a statutory official in several states of the United States. The position is the chief executive official for the state's state health agency, chief administrative officer for the state's Board of Health, or both.
Following passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, during the first ten years of the program the state health departments were given new and important roles under the law. Due to new grants available, they had enhanced their programs and had many more resources to oversee and help utilities come into compliance with drinking water standards, and they were able to develop other related activities like the capacity for doing risk assessments on new contaminants of concern.

Terminology

Although the vast majority of these agencies are officially called "departments," the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials adopted "state health agency" as the generic term to reflect the fact that a substantial number of these agencies are no longer state "departments" in the traditional sense of a cabinet-level organizational unit dedicated exclusively to public health. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, at least 20 states and the District of Columbia merged these departments with other government agencies that provide social services, welfare, or other types of unrelated services. The result is that in those jurisdictions, the state government agency that actually provides public health services is but one of several units inside a large cabinet-level agency.

Responsibilities

State health departments have different names and responsibilities; in some states they are top-level administrative agencies, while in other states they are a division or bureau of another office. Health departments are usually responsible for public health, including preventive medicine, epidemiology, vaccinations, environmental health, and the licensing of health care professionals; the collection and archiving of vital records such as birth and death certificates and sometimes marriage and divorce certificates; health statistics; developmental disabilities; mental health; occupational safety and health; receiving and recording reports of notifiable diseases; and tobacco control.
In some states, state health departments may additionally be responsible for social services and welfare, environmental protection/pollution control, or the operation of the state psychiatric hospital. Some states have a Surgeon General.

State health agencies (SHAs)

The following are state health agencies as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
StateSHAHead of healthNameWebsite
AlabamaAlabama Department of Public HealthState Health OfficerScott Harris, MD, MPHhttp://alabamapublichealth.gov
AlaskaAlaska Department of Health and Social Serviceshttp://dhss.alaska.gov
ArizonaArizona Department of Health Serviceshttps://www.azdhs.gov
ArkansasArkansas Department of HealthSecretary of HealthNathaniel Smith, MDhttps://healthy.arkansas.gov
CaliforniaCalifornia Health and Human Services Agencyhttps://www.cdph.ca.gov
ColoradoColorado Department of Public Health and Environmenthttps://www.colorado.gov/cdphe
ConnecticutConnecticut Department of Public Healthhttps://portal.ct.gov/dph
FloridaFlorida Department of HealthSecretary and Surgeon GeneralVacanthttp://www.floridahealth.gov
GeorgiaGeorgia Department of Public Healthhttps://dph.georgia.gov
HawaiiHawaii State Department of Healthhttps://health.hawaii.gov
IdahoIdaho Department of Health and Welfarehttps://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov
IllinoisIllinois Department of Public Healthhttp://www.dph.illinois.gov
IndianaIndiana State Department of Healthhttps://www.in.gov/isdh/
IowaIowa Department of Public HealthDirectorGerd Clabaugh, MPAhttps://idph.iowa.gov
KansasKansas Department of Health and EnvironmentSecretary & State Health OfficerRobert Moser, MDhttp://www.kdheks.gov
KentuckyKentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Serviceshttps://chfs.ky.gov
LouisianaLouisiana Department of Health and Hospitalshttp://ldh.la.gov
MaineMaine Department of Health and Human Serviceshttps://www.maine.gov/dhhs/
MarylandMaryland Department of Healthhttps://health.maryland.gov
MassachusettsMassachusetts Department of Public Healthhttps://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-public-health
MichiganMichigan Department of Community Healthhttps://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs
MississippiMississippi State Department of HealthState Health OfficerThomas Dobbs, MDhttps://msdh.ms.gov
MissouriMissouri Department of Health and Senior Serviceshttps://health.mo.gov
MontanaMontana Department of Public Health and Human Serviceshttps://dphhs.mt.gov
NebraskaNebraska Department of Health & Human Serviceshttp://www.dhhs.ne.gov
NevadaNevada Department of Health and Human Serviceshttp://dhhs.nv.gov
New HampshireNew Hampshire Department of Health & Human Serviceshttps://www.dhhs.nh.gov
New JerseyNew Jersey Department of Health and Senior Serviceshttps://www.nj.gov/health/
New MexicoNew Mexico Department of Healthhttps://nmhealth.org
New YorkNew York State Department of Healthhttps://www.health.ny.gov
North CarolinaNorth Carolina Department of Health and Human Serviceshttps://www.ncdhhs.gov
North DakotaNorth Dakota Department of Healthhttps://www.health.nd.gov
OhioOhio Department of Healthhttps://www.odh.ohio.gov
OklahomaOklahoma State Department of HealthState Health CommissionerDr. Terry Clinehttps://www.ok.gov/health/
OregonOregon Health Authorityhttps://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Department of Healthhttps://www.health.pa.gov
Rhode IslandRhode Island Department of Healthhttps://health.ri.gov
South CarolinaSouth Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Controlhttps://www.scdhec.gov
South DakotaSouth Dakota Department of Healthhttps://doh.sd.gov
TennesseeTennessee Department of Healthhttps://www.tn.gov/health
TexasTexas Department of State Health Serviceshttps://www.dshs.state.tx.us
UtahUtah Department of Healthhttps://health.utah.gov
VermontVermont Department of Healthhttps://www.healthvermont.gov
VirginiaVirginia Department of Healthhttp://www.vdh.virginia.gov
WashingtonWashington State Department of Healthhttps://www.doh.wa.gov
West VirginiaWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resourceshttps://dhhr.wv.gov
WisconsinWisconsin Department of Health Serviceshttps://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov
WyomingWyoming Department of Healthhttps://health.wyo.gov