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 ServicesState Board of HealthCommissionerChief Operating Officer - provides central administrative service to support the Department, such a personnel management, budgeting, purchasing, and building managementCenter for the Advancement of WellnessCenter for Health StatisticsHealth Planning and GrantsCommunity Development ServicesCommunicationsPerformance ManagementBusiness ServicesFinancial ManagementBuilding Management and Internal ServicesInformation TechnologyHuman ResourcesDeputy 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 professionsConsumer HealthHealth Resources DevelopmentLong Term CareMedical FacilitiesQuality Improvement and EvaluationDeputy 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 familiesCounty Health DepartmentsChild GuidanceDental HealthMaternal and Child HealthRecord Evaluation and SupportFamily Support and PreventionNursingSoonerStartWIC ServicesDeputy Commissioner - Prevention and Preparedness Services Division - monitors the distribution of, and provides services related to, the control of infectious diseases, chronic diseases, cancer and injuriesAcute DiseaseEmergency PreparednessImmunizationPublic Health LaboratoryChronic DiseaseHIV/STD ServicesInjury PreventionScreening and Special ServicesState EpidemiologistOffice of the General CounselOffice of Administrative HearingsOffice of the Civil Right AdministratorInternal Audit UnitOffice of Accountability SystemsThe 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 CommitteeState Barber Advisory BoardBreast Cancer Prevention and Treatment Advisory CommitteeOffice of Child Abuse PreventionInteragency Child Abuse Prevention Task ForceChild Abuse Training & Coordination CouncilChildhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Advisory CouncilLicensed Professional Counselors Advisory BoardDental Health ServiceDriver’s License Medical Advisory CommitteeEmergency Response Systems Development Advisory CouncilHealth Care Information Advisory CommitteeHearing Aid Advisory CouncilHome Health Advisory BoardHospice Advisory CouncilLong-Term Care Facility Advisory BoardLicensed Marital & Family Therapists Advisory BoardMedical Audit CommitteeOrgan Donor Education & Awareness Program Advisory CouncilInteragency Council on OsteoporosisRadiation Advisory CommitteeResidents and Family State CouncilSanitarian & Environmental Specialist Registration Advisory CouncilVision Screening Standards Advisory Committee