![AustinStateHospitalEntrance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/AustinStateHospitalEntrance.JPG)
Texas Department of State Health Services is a state agency of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. The department was created by House Bill 2292 of the 78th Texas Legislature in 2003 through the merging of four state agencies: the
Texas Department of Health,
Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...
,
Texas Health Care Information Council
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...
, and
Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse The Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA) was a state agency of Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with ...
. The department provides state-operated health care services, including hospitals, health centers, and health agencies. The agency is headquartered at the Central Campus at 1100 West 49th Street in
Austin. The DSHS Council governs the department.
The agency's Mental Health and Substance Abuse Division, along with Public Policy Research Institute at
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
coordinate the Texas School Survey, a program consisting of two surveys on drug and alcohol abuse, an annual one done at the local school-district level and a biennial statewide survey. The statewide survey, called the Texas School Survey of Substance Use, is the largest survey of its kind to be conducted in the United States and administered to over 100,000 public school students between grades 7–12.
Leadership
Dr. John Hellerstedt is the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Geographic structure
The agency provides an array of public health services and oversight across the state through eight regional offices.
* Region 1 - Lubbock
* Region 2/3 - Arlington
* Region 4/5 North - Tyler
* Region 6/5 South - Houston
* Region 7 - Temple
* Region 8 - San Antonio
* Region 9/10 - El Paso
* Region 11 - Harlingen
References
External links
*
TexasDSHS- ''
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
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*Commissioner's 2020 message to agency staff: https://vimeo.com/481396814/494288bd08
{{DEFAULTSORT:Texas Department Of State Health Services
State Health Services
State departments of health of the United States
Healthcare in Texas
Medical and health organizations based in Texas
2003 establishments in Texas