The California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS) is the state agency tasked with administration and oversight of "state and federal programs for health care, social services, public assistance and rehabilitation" in the U.S. state of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. The agency is headed by the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, with headquarters in
Sacramento
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
. Many of the laws in the
California Health and Safety Code are enforced by CHHS components.
On March 6, 2019, Governor
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...
nominated Mark Ghaly to be Secretary of CHHS.
The
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
...
unanimously confirmed Ghaly on June 17, 2019. Ghaly previously served as the director of health and social impact for Los Angeles County, deputy director of the
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health Services Los Angeles County, officially the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, operates the public hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and is the United States' second largest municip ...
, and medical director of the
San Francisco Department of Public Health
The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), previously called as the San Francisco Health Department, is the public health department of the city of San Francisco, California in the US. It has two main divisions: The San Francisco Heal ...
’s Southeast Health Center. Ghaly earned his doctorate of medicine degree from
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...
and a master of public health degree from the
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
CHHS was created from a reorganization of other California agencies, including the California Health and Welfare Agency which included the California Department of Health Services.
Organization
The agency is divided into various departments and boards:
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California Department of Aging
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California Department of Child Support Services
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California Department of Community Services and Development
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California Department of Developmental Services
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California Emergency Medical Services Authority
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California Department of Health Care Access and Information
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California Department of Health Care Services
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California Department of Managed Health Care
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California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board
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California Department of Public Health
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is the state department responsible for public health in California. It is a subdivision of the California Health and Human Services Agency. It enforces some of the laws in the California Health ...
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California Department of Rehabilitation
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California Department of Social Services
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California Department of State Hospitals
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CONREP
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California Office of Health Information Integrity (CalOHII)
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California Office of Law Enforcement Support
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California Office of the Patient Advocate - originally created in 2000, it conducts
consumer education
Consumer education is the preparation of an individual to be capable of making informed decisions when it comes to purchasing products in a consumer culture. It generally covers various consumer goods and services, prices, what the consumer can ...
, provides quality of care scorecards, and reports on consumer questions and complaints
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California Office of Systems Integration
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Office of the California Surgeon General
Secretaries
* Winslow Christian (1963-1964)
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John A. Svahn
* Spencer Williams (1967-1968)
* Lucian Vandegrift (1968-1970)
* James M. Hall (1971-1972)
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Earl Brian (1972-1974)
* James E. Jenkins (1974-1975)
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Mario G. Obledo (1975-1981)
* Douglas X. Patiño (1982)
* David Swoap (1983-1985)
* James Stockdale (1985-1987)
* Cliff Allenby (1987-1991)
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Russell Gould (1991-1993)
* Sandra Smoley (1993-1999)
* Grantland L Johnson (1999-2003)
* S. Kimberly Belshé (2003-2011)
* Diana Dooly (2011-2018)
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Michael Wilkening (2018-2019)
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Mark Ghaly (2019-2024)
* Kim Johnson (2024-present)
History
The agency was originally created in 1961 by Government Code section 12800 as the Human Relations Agency, and renamed to the Health and Welfare Agency in 1972 to and again to its current name in 1998.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:California Health And Human Services Agency
Health and Human Services Agency
State departments of health of the United States
Medical and health organizations based in California