The Los Angeles County Health Agency is Los Angeles County's consolidated health agency, comprising the

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (abbreviated DHS and LADHS) operates the public hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles County, and is the United States' second largest municipal health system, after NYC Health + Hospitals. DHS ope ...

, the United States' second largest municipal hospital system,

Mental Health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

, the United States' largest municipal mental health system, and

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 ...

. The Health Agency was established to coordinate and streamline the county's

physical health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organi ...

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 ...

, and

behavioral health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

care services, programs, and policies under a single integrated system of care. The Health Agency is presently led by Fred Leaf as interim director. In FY 2015–16, the three departments comprising the Los Angeles County Health Agency had a combined annual budget of , constituting about 25% of the county's total annual budget. The County Health Agency employs 31,887 employees.

History

From 1972 to 1978, the Los Angeles County Department of Health (now the Department of Health Services) provided the full continuum of physical, mental and public health services and functions. However, in 1978, the county established the Department of Mental Health to provide behavioral health services, amid concerns that funding for mental health services was being diverted to the county's hospitals. In 2006, the Department of Public Health was separated from the Department of Health Services, during a major budget deficit. On January 13, 2015, the

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States. History On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Sessions as their firs ...

publicly directed the Chief Executive Office to assess the feasibility of consolidating the county's three health departments into a single unified health agency. This was preceded by correspondence between the Board and Mitchell Katz, the then current director of Health Services, who had submitted a confidential proposal to integrate the three departments on January 2, 2015. On October 6, 2015, the Board adopted an ordinance to create the Health Agency, effective November 5, 2015. The proposal was criticized by community advocates, providers, and labor unions, who have argued that physical health services would be prioritized above mental and public health services, and potential conflicts of interest. The Health Agency is led by the Health Agency Director, who oversees, manages, coordinates, monitors and evaluates the Agency's programs and services. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

the department was criticized for its handling of nursing homes.

References

External links

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Los Angeles County Department of Health Services official websiteLos Angeles County Department of Mental Health official websiteLos Angeles County Department of Public Health official website
{{authority control Health departments in California County government agencies in California Government of Los Angeles County, California Hospital networks in the United States Healthcare in Los Angeles Government agencies established in 2015

History

See also

References

External links