State health agency

Short description: American state-level government agency

A state health agency (SHA), 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 (or equivalent), chief administrative officer for the state's Board of Health (or equivalent), 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.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Terminology
* 2 Responsibilities
* 3 State health agencies (SHAs)
* 4 Further reading
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## 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.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2]

## 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 (sometimes including health inspections), 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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

## State health agencies (SHAs)

Template:Split into

The following are state health agencies as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:[3]

State  | SHA  | Health Officer’s position  | Health Officer’s name  | Website

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Alabama  | Alabama Department of Public Health  | State Health Officer  | Dr. Scott Harris, MD, MPH  | http://alabamapublichealth.gov
Alaska | Alaska Department of Health  | Commissioner  | Heidi Hedberg, BA  | https://health.alaska.gov
Arizona  | Arizona Department of Health Services  | Cabinet Executive Officer  | Jennifer Cunico, MC  | https://www.azdhs.gov
Arkansas  | Arkansas Department of Health  | Secretary of Health  | Renee Mallory, RN, BSN  | https://healthy.arkansas.gov
Director, State Health Officer Designee  | Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, MD
California  | California Department of Public Health  | Director, State Public Health Officer  | Dr. Tomás Aragón, MD, DrPH  | https://www.cdph.ca.gov
Colorado  | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment  | Executive Director  | Jill Hunsaker Ryan, MPH  | [1]
Connecticut  | Connecticut State Department of Public Health  | Commissioner  | Dr. Manisha Juthani, MD  | https://portal.ct.gov/dph
Delaware  | Delaware Division of Public Health (Delaware Department of Health and Social Services)  | Commissioner  | Steven L. Blessing, MA  | https://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/
District of Columbia  | District of Columbia Department of Health  | Director  | Dr. Ayanna Bennett, MD, MSPH, FAAP  | https://dchealth.dc.gov/
Florida  | Florida Department of Health  | Secretary and Surgeon General  | Dr. Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD  | http://www.floridahealth.gov
Georgia  | Georgia Department of Public Health  | Commissioner and State Health Officer  | Dr. Kathleen Toomey, MD, MPH  | https://dph.georgia.gov
Hawaii  | Hawaii State Department of Health  | Director  | Dr. Kenneth Fink, MD, MGA, MPH  | https://health.hawaii.gov
Idaho  | Division of Public Health (Idaho Department of Health and Welfare)  | Public Health Administrator  | Elke Shaw-Tulloch, MHS  | https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov
Illinois  | Illinois Department of Public Health  | Director of Public Health  | Dr. Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA, FAAP  | http://www.dph.illinois.gov
Indiana  | Indiana Department of Health  | State Health Commissioner  | Dr. Lindsay Weaver, MD, FACEP[4] | https://www.in.gov/health/
Iowa  | Iowa Department of Health and Human Services  | Director  | Kelly Garcia, MPA  | https://hhs.iowa.gov/
State Medical Director, State Health Officer Designee  | Dr. Robert Kruse, MD, MPH
Kansas  | Kansas Department of Health and Environment  | Secretary  | Janet Stanek, MBA  | https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/
Kentucky  | Kentucky Department for Public Health (Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services)  | Commissioner  | Dr. Steven J. Stack, MD, MBA  | https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/
Louisiana  | Louisiana Office of Public Health (Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals)  | Surgeon General  | Dr. Ralph L. Abraham, MD  | https://ldh.la.gov/
Secretary  | Michael Harrington
Maine  | Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine Department of Health and Human Services)  | Director  | Dr. Puthiery Va, DO  | https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/
Maryland  | Maryland Department of Health  | Secretary of Health  | Dr. Laura Herrera Scott, MD, MPH  | https://health.maryland.gov
Deputy Secretary, State Health Officer Designee  | Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, MD
Massachusetts  | Massachusetts Department of Public Health  | Commissioner  | Dr. Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD  | https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-public-health
Michigan  | Michigan Department of Health and Human Services  | Director  | Elizabeth Hertel, MBA  | https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs
Chief Medical Executive, State Health Officer Designee  | Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MD, MPH, FIDSA
Minnesota  | Minnesota Department of Health  | Health Commissioner  | Dr. Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD  | https://www.health.state.mn.us/
Mississippi  | Mississippi State Department of Health  | State Health Officer  | Dr. Daniel Edney, MD, FACP, FASAM  | https://msdh.ms.gov
Missouri  | Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services  | Director  | Paula Nickelson, MA  | https://health.mo.gov
Montana  | Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services  | State Medical Director  | Dr. Douglas Harrington, MD  | https://dphhs.mt.gov
Nebraska  | Division of Public Health (Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services)  | Chief Executive Officer  | Dr. Steve Corsi, PsyD  | http://www.dhhs.ne.gov
Director, Division of Public Health, State Health Officer Designee  | Charity Menefee, MA
Nevada  | Nevada Division of Public & Behavioural Health (Nevada Department of Health and Human Services)  | Administrator  | Cody Phinney, MPH  | http://dhhs.nv.gov
Chief Medical Officer, State Health Officer Designee  | Dr. Ihsan Azzam, MD, PhD, MPH
New Hampshire  | New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services  | Associate Commissioner  | Patricia Tilley, MS Ed  | https://www.dhhs.nh.gov
New Jersey  | New Jersey Department of Health  | Health Commissioner  | Dr. Kaitlan Baston, MD, MSc, DFASAM  | https://www.nj.gov/health/
New Mexico  | New Mexico Department of Health  | Interim Cabinet Secretary  | Gina DeBlassie  | https://nmhealth.org
Chief Medical Officer, State Health Officer Designee  | Dr. Miranda Durham, MD
New York  | New York State Department of Health  | Commissioner of Health  | Dr. James McDonald, MD, MPH  | https://www.health.ny.gov
North Carolina  | North Carolina Division of Public Health (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services)  | Acting Director  | Dr. Kelly Kimple, MD, MPH  | https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health
State Health Director, Chief Medical Officer, State Health Officer Designee  | Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, MPH, MD
North Dakota  | North Dakota Department of Health  | State Health Officer  | Dr. Nizar Wehbi, MD, MPH, MBA, FACHE, CPH  | https://www.hhs.nd.gov/health
Ohio  | Ohio Department of Health  | Director of Health  | Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA  | https://www.odh.ohio.gov
Oklahoma  | Oklahoma State Department of Health  | Commissioner of Health  | Col. Keith Reed, RN, MPH, CPH  | https://oklahoma.gov/health
Oregon  | Public Health Division, Oregon Health Authority  | Director  | Dr. Sejal Hathi, MD, MBA  | https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph
Public Health Director, State Health Officer Designee  | Naomi Adeline-Biggs, MBBS, MPH
Pennsylvania  | Pennsylvania Department of Health  | Secretary of Health  | Dr. Debra Bogen, MD, FAAP  | https://www.health.pa.gov
Rhode Island  | Rhode Island Department of Health  | Director  | Dr. Jerome Larkin, MD  | https://health.ri.gov
South Carolina  | South Carolina Department of Public Health  | Interim Director  | Dr. Edward Simmer, MD, MPH  | https://dph.sc.gov/
Director of Public Health, State Health Officer Designee  | Dr. Brannon Traxler, MD, MPH
South Dakota  | South Dakota Department of Health  | Secretary of Health  | Melissa Magstadt, CNP, MBA  | https://doh.sd.gov
Tennessee  | Tennessee Department of Health  | Commissioner  | Dr. Ralph Alvarado, MD, FACP  | https://www.tn.gov/health
Texas  | Texas Department of State Health Services  | Commissioner  | Dr. Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH  | https://www.dshs.state.tx.us
Utah  | Utah Department of Health and Human Services  | Executive Medical Director  | Dr. Stacey Bank, MD  | https://dhhs.utah.gov/
Vermont  | Vermont Department of Health  | Commissioner of Health  | Dr. Mark Levine, MD  | https://www.healthvermont.gov
Virginia  | Virginia Department of Health  | State Health Commissioner  | Dr. Karen Shelton, MD  | http://www.vdh.virginia.gov
Washington  | Washington State Department of Health  | Secretary of Health  | Dr. Umair Shah, MD, MPH  | https://www.doh.wa.gov
West Virginia  | West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources)  | State Health Officer  | Dr. Matthew Christiansen, MD, MPH  | https://dhhr.wv.gov/bph/
Wisconsin  | Wisconsin Department of Health Services  | State Health Officer, Division of Public Health Administrator  | Paula Tran, MPH  | https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/dph/
Wyoming  | Public Health Division (Wyoming Department of Health)  | State Health Officer  | Dr. Alexia Harrist, MD, PhD  | https://health.wyo.gov
Senior Administrator, State Health Officer Designee  | Stephanie Sandoval, MBA

## Further reading

EPA Alumni Association: Drinking Water, Half Century of Progress – a brief history of U.S. efforts to protect drinking water

## See also

* Health departments in the United States
* State education agency
* Health care in the United States
* United States Department of Health and Human Services
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

## References

1. ↑ EPA Alumni Association: Senior EPA officials discuss early implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, Video, Transcript (see p23).
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jarris, Paul E.; Sellers, Katie (2017). "Chapter 8: The State Public Health Agencies". in Erwin, Paul C.; Brownson, Ross C.. Scutchfield and Keck's Principles of Public Health Practice (4th ed.). Boston: Cengage. p. 122. ISBN 9781305855717. https://books.google.com/books?id=uJJ4CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA122. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
3. ↑ CDC (2024-05-14). "Health Department Directories" (in en-us). https://www.cdc.gov/public-health-gateway/php/communications-resources/health-department-directories.html.
4. ↑ "State Health Commissioner". State of Indiana. https://www.in.gov/health/about-the-agency/state-health-commissioner/.

## External links

* StatePublicHealth.org \- "State public health information and analysis."
* hss.alaska.gov \- "Alaska Department of Health and Social Services"

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Public health

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Preventive healthcare|

* Behavior change
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Biological and
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* Case–control study
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|

Education|

* Health education
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History|

* Sara Josephine Baker
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