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]
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. 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.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | https://www.colorado.gov/cdphe |
| 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/dhss/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 | |||
EPA Alumni Association: Drinking Water, Half Century of Progress – a brief history of U.S. efforts to protect drinking water