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The United States Department of Health and Human Services, often abbreviated HHS, is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services.

The department was created when President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act (PL 96-88) into law on October 17, 1979. It split the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, (HEW), which included the G.I. Bill and Veterans' Administration into the Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Education. Both began operation on May 4, 1980.

It is administered by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, currently Michael O. Leavitt, who is appointed by the President of the United States. The United States Public Health Service (PHS) is the main division of the HHS and is led by the Assistant Secretary for Health. The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the uniformed service of the PHS, is led by the Surgeon General who also serves as the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the U.S. government.

In 2002, the department released Healthy People 2010, a national strategic initiative for improving the health of Americans.

Operating Divisions

• Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (OS)- currently led by Secretary Michael Leavitt
• Administration for Children and Families (ACF) - currently led by Acting Assistant Secretary Daniel Schneider
• Administration on Aging (AOA)- currently led by Assistant Secretary Josefina Carbonell
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)- currently led by Director Carolyn Clancy
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)- is under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)- currently led by Director Julie Gerberding
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration) - currently led by Acting Administrator Leslie Norwalk
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - currently led by Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)- currently led by Administrator Betty Duke
• Indian Health Service (IHS) - currently led by Director Charles Grim, RADM, USPHS
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) - currently led by Director Elias Zerhouni
• Program Support Center (PSC) - currently led by Director Philip Van Landingham
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)- currently led by Administrator Charles Curie

It no longer includes the Social Security Administration, which was made independent in 1995.

Related legislation

• 1946 - Hospital Survey and Construction Act (Hill-Burton Act) 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 PL 87-395
• 1962 - Public Health Service Act 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 PL 89-109
• 1965 - Medicare 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 - Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act PL 91-695
• 1970 - Community Mental Health Service Act PL 91-211
• 1971 - National Cancer Act PL 92-218
• 1974 - Research on Aging Act PL 93-296
• 1974 - National Health Planning and Resources Development Act PL 93-641
• 1979 - Department of Education Organization Act (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

See also

• Global Health Security Initiative
• Healthy People 2010
• William R. Steiger