The Oklahoma Secretary of Health is a member of the

Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet The Cabinet of the governor of Oklahoma is a body of the most senior appointed officials of the executive branch of the government of Oklahoma. Originally an informal meeting between the governor of Oklahoma and various government officials, the ...

. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

issues and needs. The current Secretary of Health is

Howard Hendrick Howard Hendrick (born December 22, 1954) is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Hendrick was serving as the Oklahoma Secretary of Human Services, having been appointed by Democratic Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry in 2003. ...

, who was appointed by Governor

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002. Henry won re-election for a second term ...

in 2003.

History

The position of Secretary of Human Services was established in 2003 when Governor

issued an executive order splitting the former position of Secretary of Health and Human Services into the separate positions of Secretary of Health and Secretary of Human Services. The previous position was established, along with the

, by the

Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986 The Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986 (74 O.S. Sections 10.1–10.4) is an Oklahoma state law that requires the Governor of Oklahoma to organize the various 500 or more departments, agencies, boards, commissions and other entities of the state's ...

. The Act directs the Secretary of Human Services to advise the Governor on

public assistance Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

policy and advise the state public assistance agencies on new policy as directed by the Governor.

Dual Position

Oklahoma state law always for Cabinet Secretaries to serve concurrently as the head of a State agency in addition to their duties as a Cabinet Secretary. Historically, the Secretary of Human Services has also served as either the Director of the

Oklahoma Department of Human Services The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma. Under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services, OKDHS is responsible for providing help to individuals and families in nee ...

. As of 2010, all Human Services Secretaries have served in that dual positions.

Responsibilities

The Secretary of Human Services oversees most

programs offered by the State. Such programs include child care services, senior citizen assistance, child custody services, disability vocational services, and services to the blind and deaf. The Secretary also oversees services to juveniles, both treatment and corrections. As of fiscal year 2011, the Secretary of Human Services oversees 9,115 full-time employees and is responsible for an annual budget of over $2.4 billion.

Agencies overseen

The Secretary of Human Services oversees the following state entities: *

Department of Human Services A Department of Human Services (DHS) or Ministry of Human Services (MHS) is a national or subnational umbrella agency which is responsible for providing public assistance programs to the population they serve. Various aspects or alternate names i ...

* Department of Rehabilitation Services * Office of Juvenile Affairs

Salary

The annual salary for the position of Secretary of Human Services set by State law at $80,000.Paragraph 7, Section 10.5, Title 74, Oklahoma Statutes
/ref> Despite this, if the Secretary serves as the head of State agency, the Secretary receives the higher of the two salaries. Incumbent Secretary Howard Henrick serves as the Director of the Department of Human Services. As such, she receives the salary allowed for that position. As of 2010, the annual salary for that position is $163,000.

List of secretaries

References

External links

Members of the Governor's Cabinet

State biography of Cabinet Secretary Howard Hendrick
{{Oklahoma health agencies *Human Services *Human Services, Secretary of