The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Health. The department is responsible for protecting the health of all Oklahomans and providing other essential human services. The OSDH serves as the primary public health protection agency in the state.
The department is led by a State Board of Health, composed of nine members appointed by the governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate. The board in turn appoints the State Commissioner of Health, who serves as the executive officer of the department and is the lead public health authority in the state.
The 20th, and current, Commissioner of Health is Dr. Terry Cline, Ph.D., who was appointed by the board on June 30, 2009. Governor Mary Fallin appointed Cline to served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2011 in addition to his duties as Health Commissioner.
The Department was created in 1963 during the term of Governor Henry Bellmon.
The Department is led by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Commissioner of Health. Under Governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin, Dr. Terry Cline is both the Cabinet Secretary and the Commissioner.
The State Board of Health is the governing body of the Health Department. The Board is composed of nine members appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate. Each Board member serves a nine-year term. Eight of the nine members represent specific county regions of the state and one member is appointed to represent the state at large.
As of 2010, the Board is composed of the following members:
As of April 2013, the organization of the Department is as follows:
Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services
State Board of Health
Commissioner
Chief Operating Officer - provides central administrative service to support the Department, such a personnel management, budgeting, purchasing, and building management
Center for the Advancement of Wellness
Center for Health Statistics
Health Planning and Grants
Community Development Services
Communications
Performance Management
Business Services
Financial Management
Building Management and Internal Services
Information Technology
Human Resources
Deputy Commissioner - Protective Health Services Division - provide regulatory oversight of the state's health care delivery service through a system of inspection, licensure and certification as well as several other trades and professions
Consumer Health
Health Resources Development
Long Term Care
Medical Facilities
Quality Improvement and Evaluation
Deputy Commissioner - Community and Family Health Services Division - directs the service delivery system of the 68 county health departments, provides guidance and consulation to the two independent city-county health departments in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and protects and promotes the health of Oklahoma's women, children and families
County Health Departments
Child Guidance
Dental Health
Maternal and Child Health
Record Evaluation and Support
Family Support and Prevention
Nursing
SoonerStart
WIC Services
Deputy Commissioner - Prevention and Preparedness Services Division - monitors the distribution of, and provides services related to, the control of infectious diseases, chronic diseases, cancer and injuries
Acute Disease
Emergency Preparedness
Immunization
Public Health Laboratory
Chronic Disease
HIV/STD Services
Injury Prevention
Screening and Special Services
State Epidemiologist
Office of the General Counsel
Office of Administrative Hearings
Office of the Civil Right Administrator
Internal Audit Unit
Office of Accountability Systems
The Health Department, with an annual budget of well over $300 million, is one of the largest employers of the State. For fiscal year 2014, the Department was authorized 2,148 full-time employees.
The divisions of the Department operation with the following operating budgets for Fiscal Year 2014:
Alarm Industry Committee
State Barber Advisory Board
Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment Advisory Committee
Office of Child Abuse Prevention
Interagency Child Abuse Prevention Task Force
Child Abuse Training & Coordination Council
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Advisory Council
Licensed Professional Counselors Advisory Board
Dental Health Service
Driver’s License Medical Advisory Committee
Emergency Response Systems Development Advisory Council
Health Care Information Advisory Committee
Hearing Aid Advisory Council
Home Health Advisory Board
Hospice Advisory Council
Long-Term Care Facility Advisory Board
Licensed Marital & Family Therapists Advisory Board
Medical Audit Committee
Organ Donor Education & Awareness Program Advisory Council
Interagency Council on Osteoporosis
Radiation Advisory Committee
Residents and Family State Council
Sanitarian & Environmental Specialist Registration Advisory Council
Vision Screening Standards Advisory Committee
