United States Department of Health and Human Services

Dept. of Health and Human Services Established: October 17, 1979 Activated: May 4, 1980 Secretary: Tommy Thompson Deputy Secretary: Claude A. Allen[?] Budget: $502.0 billion (2003) Employees: 65,000 (2003)

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 dissolved the Department of Health, Education and Welfare 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.

Operating Units

• Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (OS)
• Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
• Administration on Aging (AOA)
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration).
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• Indian Health Service[?] (IHS)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH),
• Program Support Center (PSC),
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

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 Services 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[?] (Smoking ban on flights) PL 100-202
• 1988 - Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act[?] PL 100-360
• 1989 - Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act[?] (Smoking ban on flights) PL 101-164