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United States Department of Health and Human Services
 
 
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The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is a Cabinet
United States Cabinet

The United States Cabinet is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first United States of America President of the United States, George Washington, who appointed a Cabinet of four people to advise and assist him in his dutie...
 department of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 government with the goal of protecting the health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
 of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto
Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used....
 is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America".

The department was created when President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....
 signed the Department of Education Organization Act
Department of Education Organization Act

The Department of Education Organization Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1980....
 (PL 96-88) into law on October 17, 1979.






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The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is a Cabinet
United States Cabinet

The United States Cabinet is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first United States of America President of the United States, George Washington, who appointed a Cabinet of four people to advise and assist him in his dutie...
 department of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 government with the goal of protecting the health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
 of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto
Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used....
 is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America".

The department was created when President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....
 signed the Department of Education Organization Act
Department of Education Organization Act

The Department of Education Organization Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1980....
 (PL 96-88) into law on October 17, 1979. It split the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

The United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was a Cabinet -level department of the United States government from 1953 until 1979....
, (HEW), which included the Social Security Administration, agencies constituting the Public Health Service, Family Support Administration, and the Office of Education into the Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education

The United States Department of Education is a United States Cabinet-level department of the United States government of the United States. Created by the Department of Education Organization Act , it was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 17, 1979 and began operating on May 4, 1980....
. Both began operation on May 4, 1980. (In 1995, the Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration

The United States Social Security Administration is an Independent agencies of the United States government of the United States federal government of the United States that administers Social Security , a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits....
 was removed from the Department of Health and Human Services, and established as an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States Government).

It is administered by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services

The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters....
, who is appointed by the President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
. The United States Public Health Service
United States Public Health Service

Organization of the Public Health ServiceThe Public Health Service Act placed the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services....
 (PHS) is the main division of the HHS and is led by the Assistant Secretary for Health
United States Assistant Secretary for Health

File:Steven K Galson.jpgThe United States Assistant Secretary for Health serves as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active member in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, is the highest ranking uniformed off...
. The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is the federal uniformed service of the United States Public Health Service consisting of only commissioned officers, and is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States....
, the uniformed service
Uniformed services of the United States

The United States has seven federal uniformed services that Officer officers as defined by Title 10 of the United States Code, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14 of the United States Code, Title 42 of the United States Code and Title 33 of the United States Code of the United States Code....
 of the PHS, is led by the Surgeon General
Surgeon General of the United States

The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the Federal government of the United States....
 who is responsible for addressing matters concerning public health as authorized by the Secretary or by the Assistant Secretary of Health in addition to his primary mission of administering the Commissioned Corps. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigates criminal activity for HHS. The Special Agents who work for OIG have the same title series "1811", training and authority as other federal criminal investigators, such as the FBI, ATF
ATF

ATF is a three-letter abbreviation that can stand for:* Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives commonly referred to as "the ATF", a law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice...
, DEA
DEA

DEA may refer to:...
 and Secret Service
Secret service

Because of both the secrecy of secret services and the controversial nature of the issues involved, there is some difficulty in separating the definitions of secret service, secret police, intelligence agency etc....
. However, OIG Special Agents have special skills in investigating white collar crime related to Medicare
Medicare (United States)

Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over, or who meet other special criteria....
 and Medicaid fraud and abuse. Organized crime has dominated the criminal activity relative to this type of fraud.

HHS-OIG investigates tens of millions of dollars in Medicare fraud each year. In addition, OIG will continue its coverage of all 50 States and the District of Columbia by its multi-agency task forces (PSOC Task Forces) that identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who willfully avoid payment of their child support obligations under the Child Support Recovery Act.

In 2002, the department released Healthy People 2010
Healthy People 2010

Healthy People 2010, started in January 2000 by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is a nationwide health promotion and disease prevention plan to be achieved by the year 2010....
, a national strategic initiative for improving the health of Americans.

Agencies


Office of the Secretary (OS)

  • Immediate Office of the Secretary (IOS) - Kathleen Sebelius
    Kathleen Sebelius

    Kathleen Sebelius is an United States politician currently serving as the 44th Governor of Kansas. She is the second List of female state governors in the United States of Kansas, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association....
  • Office of the Deputy Secretary (DS) - currently led by Deputy Secretary Tevi Troy
    Tevi Troy

    Tevi David Troy is the former Deputy United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in the administration of George W. Bush....
  • Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (ASAM)
    • Program Support Center (PSC) - currently led by Director Philip Van Landingham
  • Assistant Secretary for Legislation (ASL)
  • Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
  • Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
    • Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority
      Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority

      The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , is an agency within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of the U.S....
       (BARDA)
      • Project BioShield
        Project Bioshield Act

        The Project Bioshield Act was an act passed by the United States Congress in 2004 calling for $5 billion for purchasing vaccines that would be used in the event of a bioterrorism attack....
      • Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE)
  • Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA)
  • Assistant Secretary for Resources and Technology (ASRT)
  • Departmental Appeals Board (DAB)
  • Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
  • Office of Global Health Affairs (OGHA)
  • Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA)
  • Office of the Secretary's Regional Directors
  • Office of the General Counsel (OGC)
  • Office of Inspector General (OIG)
  • Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA)
  • Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
  • Public Health Service
    United States Public Health Service

    Organization of the Public Health ServiceThe Public Health Service Act placed the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services....
     (PHS) / Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) - currently led by Acting Assistant Secretary, Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson
    Steven K. Galson

    Rear admiral #Rear admiral Steven Kenneth Galson, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is an American physician and public health administrator....
    • Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS)
    • Office of the Surgeon General
      Surgeon General of the United States

      The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the Federal government of the United States....
       - currently led by Acting Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson
      Steven K. Galson

      Rear admiral #Rear admiral Steven Kenneth Galson, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is an American physician and public health administrator....
      • U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps
  • Office on Disability (OD)
  • Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI)


Operating Divisions

  • Administration for Children and Families
    Administration for Children and Families

    The Administration for Children and Families is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services . It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, which from 2001 to 2007 was Dr....
     (ACF) - currently led by Acting Assistant Secretary Daniel Schneider
  • Administration on Aging
    Administration on Aging

    The Administration on Aging is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. AoA awards annual grants to State government agencies on aging and Native American tribal organizations to support programs mandated by the Congress in the Older Americans Act....
     (AoA) - currently led by Assistant Secretary Josefina Carbonell
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
    Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

    The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality , is a part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services which supports research designed to improve the outcomes and quality of health care, reduce its costs, address patient safety and medical errors, and broaden access to effective services....
     (AHRQ) - currently led by Director Carolyn Clancy
  • Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
    Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

    The United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, is an agency for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that is directed by a congressional mandate to perform specific functions concerning the effect on public health of Hazardous material in the environment....
     (ATSDR) - currently led by Director Howard Frumkin
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an agency of the United States United States Department of Health and Human Services based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States adjacent to the campus of Emory University and northeast of downtown Atlanta....
     (CDC) - currently led by acting Director Richard E. Besser
  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)- currently led by Acting Administrator Kerry Weems
  • Food and Drug Administration
    Food and Drug Administration

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is an Government agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating and supervising the safety of foods, dietary supplements, Medications, vaccines, Biopharmaceutical, blood transfusion, medical devices, Electromagnetic radiation-emitting devices, veteri...
     (FDA) - currently led by Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach
    Andrew von Eschenbach

    Andrew C. von Eschenbach was the FDA commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration from 2006-2009. He became acting Commissioner on September 26, 2005, after the resignation of his predecessor Lester Crawford, and was confirmed as Commissioner by the United States Senate on December 7, 2006....
  • Health Resources and Services Administration
    Health Resources and Services Administration

    The Health Resources and Services Administration , an agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable....
     (HRSA) - currently led by Administrator Elizabeth Duke
    Elizabeth Duke

    * For the fugitive see Elizabeth Ann Duke-------------------Elizabeth M. Duke was the administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration from March 6, 2002 to February 28, 2009....
  • Indian Health Service
    Indian Health Service

    Indian Health Service is an Operating Division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . IHS is responsible for providing medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives....
     (IHS) - currently led by Acting Director, Robert G. McSwain
  • National Institutes of Health
    National Institutes of Health

    The National Institutes of Health is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research....
     (NIH) - currently led by Director Elias Zerhouni
    Elias Zerhouni

    Elias A. Zerhouni physician was the 15th director of the National Institutes of Health, appointed by George W. Bush in May 2002. On September 24, 2008 he announced that he will step down as NIH Director at the end of October 2008....
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

    The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is the US Federal agency charged with improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitative services in order to reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses....
     (SAMHSA) - currently led by Administrator Charles Curie



(Several agencies within HHS are components of the Public Health Service
United States Public Health Service

Organization of the Public Health ServiceThe Public Health Service Act placed the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services....
 (PHS), including AHRQ, ASPR, ATSDR, CDC, FDA, HRSA, IHS, NIH, SAMHSA, OGHA, and OPHS).

Former operating divisions and agencies

  • Social Security Administration
    Social Security Administration

    The United States Social Security Administration is an Independent agencies of the United States government of the United States federal government of the United States that administers Social Security , a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits....
    , made independent in 1995.
  • Health Care Financing Administration


Budget

The Department of Health and Human Services' budget includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities. Some highlights include:
  • Health and social science research
  • Preventing disease, including immunization services
  • Assuring food and drug safety
  • Medicare (health insurance for elderly and disabled Americans) and Medicaid (health insurance for low-income people)
  • Health information technology
  • Financial assistance and services for low-income families
  • Improving maternal and infant health
  • Head Start (pre-school education and services)
  • Faith-based and community initiatives
  • Preventing child abuse and domestic violence
  • Substance abuse treatment and prevention
  • Services for older Americans, including home-delivered meals
  • Comprehensive health services for Native Americans
  • Medical preparedness for emergencies, including potential terrorism.


Related legislation

  • 1946 - Hospital Survey and Construction Act (Hill-Burton Act
    Hill-Burton Act

    The Hospital Survey and Construction Act, also known as the Hill-Burton Act, after Senator Harold Burton of Ohio and Senator Lister Hill of Alabama, is a United States federal law passed in 1946....
    ) PL 79-725
  • 1949 - Hospital Construction Act PL 81-380
  • 1950 - Public Health Services Act Amendments PL 81-692
  • 1955 - Poliomyelitis Vaccination Assistance Act PL 84-377
  • 1956 - Health Research Facilities Act PL 84-835
  • 1960 - Social Security Amendments (Kerr-Mill aid) PL 86-778
  • 1961 - Community Health Services and Facilities Act
    Community Health Services and Facilities Act

    The Community Health Services and Facilities Act is one of the important factors of the 1965 Community Health Centers Act was that it mandated appropriate mental health services for the younger population....
     PL 87-395
  • 1962 - Public Health Service Act
    Public Health Service Act

    The Public Health Service Act is a Law of the United States enacted in 1946. The full act is captured under Title 42 of the United States Code "The Public Health and Welfare", Chapter 6A "United States Public Health Service"...
     PL 87-838
  • 1962 - Vaccination Assistance PL 87-868
  • 1963 - Mental Retardation Facilities Construction Act/Community Mental Health Centers Act PL 88-164
  • 1964 - Nurse Training Act PL 88-581
  • 1965 - Community Health Services and Facilities Act
    Community Health Services and Facilities Act

    The Community Health Services and Facilities Act is one of the important factors of the 1965 Community Health Centers Act was that it mandated appropriate mental health services for the younger population....
     PL 89-109
  • 1965 - Medicare
    Medicare (United States)

    Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over, or who meet other special criteria....
     PL 89-97
  • 1965 - Mental Health Centers Act Amendments PL 89-105
  • 1965 - Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke Amendments PL 89-239
  • 1966 - Comprehensive Health Planning and Service Act PL 89-749
  • 1970 - Community Mental Health Service Act PL 91-211
  • 1970 - Family Planning Services and Population Research Act PL 91-572
  • 1970 - Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act PL 91-695
  • 1971 - National Cancer Act PL 92-218
  • 1974 - Research on Aging Act PL 93-296
  • 1974 - National Health Planning and Resources Development Act
    National Health Planning and Resources Development Act

    The National Health Planning and Resources Development Act, or Public Law 93-641 is a piece of 1974 United States United States Congress legislation....
     PL 93-641
  • 1979 - Department of Education Organization Act
    Department of Education Organization Act

    The Department of Education Organization Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1980....
     (Created HHS) PL 96-88
  • 1987 - Department of Transportation Appropriations Act PL 100-202
  • 1988 - Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act PL 100-360
  • 1989 - Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act PL 101-164
  • 1996 - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
    Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

    The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website, Title I of HIPAA protects health insurance in the United States coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs....


See also

  • Global Health Security Initiative
    Global Health Security Initiative

    The Global Health Security Initiative is an international partnership between countries in order to supplement and strengthen their preparedness to respond to threats of Bioterrorism, Chemical warfare, Nuclear terrorism terrorism and pandemic influenza....
  • Healthy People 2010
    Healthy People 2010

    Healthy People 2010, started in January 2000 by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is a nationwide health promotion and disease prevention plan to be achieved by the year 2010....
  • William R. Steiger
    William R. Steiger

    William Raymond Steiger is the Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Global Health Affairs. He is the son of deceased former Congressman William A....


External links

  • from The Federal Register