State health 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.

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.

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:

State	SHA	Head of health	Name
Alabama	Alabama Department of Public Health
Alaska	Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
Arizona	Arizona Department of Health Services
Arkansas	Arkansas Department of Health
California	California Health and Human Services Agency
Colorado	Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Connecticut	Connecticut Department of Public Health
Florida	Florida Department of Health	Secretary and Surgeon General	John H. Armstrong, M.D.
Georgia	Georgia Department of Public Health
Hawaii	Hawaii State Department of Health
Idaho	Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Illinois	Illinois Department of Public Health
Indiana	Indiana State Department of Health
Iowa	Iowa Department of Public Health
Kansas	Kansas Department of Health and Environment	Secretary & State Health Officer	Robert Moser, MD
Kentucky	Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Louisiana	Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
Maine	Maine Department of Health and Human Services
Maryland	Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Michigan	Michigan Department of Community Health
Mississippi	Mississippi State Department of Health	State Health Officer	Mary Currier
Missouri	Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
Montana	Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
Nebraska	Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services
Nevada	Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
New Hampshire	New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services
New Jersey	New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
New Mexico	New Mexico Department of Health
New York	New York State Department of Health
North Carolina	North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
North Dakota	North Dakota Department of Health
Ohio	Ohio Department of Health
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State Department of Health	State Health Commissioner	Dr. Terry Cline
Oregon	Oregon Health Authority
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania Department of Health
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Department of Health
South Carolina	South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
South Dakota	South Dakota Department of Health
Tennessee	Tennessee Department of Health
Texas	Texas Department of State Health Services
Utah	Utah Department of Health
Vermont	Vermont Department of Health
Virginia	Virginia Department of Health
Washington	Washington State Department of Health
West Virginia	West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Wyoming	Wyoming Department of Health

See also

• Local health department
• State education agency
• Health care in the United States
• United States Department of Health and Human Services
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

External links

• StatePublicHealth.org - "State public health information and analysis."
• hss.alaska.gov - "Alaska Department of Health and Social Services"
• Rutgers University 12 Week Environment and Public Health course - "Rutgers University 12 Week Environment and Public Health Course prepares students for public health agency careers"