state health agency state health agency a state health agency (sha), or state department of health, is a department or agency of the state governments of the united states focused on public health. the state secretary of health is a constitutional or at times a statutory official in several states of the united states. the position is the chief executive official for the state's state health agency (or equivalent), chief administrative officer for the state's board of health (or equivalent), or both. following passage of the safe drinking water act of 1974, during the first ten years of the program the state health departments were given new and important roles under the law. due to new grants available, they had enhanced their programs and had many more resources to oversee and help utilities come into compliance with drinking water standards, and they were able to develop other related activities like the capacity for doing risk assessments on new contaminants of concern. terminology although the vast majority of these agencies are officially called "departments," the association of state and territorial health officials adopted "state health agency" as the generic term to reflect the fact that a substantial number of these agencies are no longer state "departments" in the traditional sense of a cabinet-level organizational unit dedicated exclusively to public health. during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, at least 20 states and the district of columbia merged these departments with other government agencies that provide social services, welfare, or other types of unrelated services. the result is that in those jurisdictions, the state government agency that actually provides public health services is but one of several units inside a large cabinet-level agency. responsibilities state health departments have different names and responsibilities; in some states they are top-level administrative agencies, while in other states they are a division or bureau of another office. health departments are usually responsible for public health, including preventive medicine, epidemiology, vaccinations, environmental health (sometimes including health inspections), and the licensing of health care professionals; the collection and archiving of vital records such as birth and death certificates and sometimes marriage and divorce certificates; health statistics; developmental disabilities; mental health; occupational safety and health; receiving and recording reports of notifiable diseases; and tobacco control. in some states, state health departments may additionally be responsible for social services and welfare, environmental protection/pollution control, or the operation of the state psychiatric hospital. some states have a surgeon general. state health agencies (shas) the following are state health agencies as identified by the centers for disease control and prevention: state sha head of health name website alabama alabama department of public health state health officer scott harris, md, mph http://alabamapublichealth.gov alaska alaska department of health and social services http://dhss.alaska.gov arizona arizona department of health services https://www.azdhs.gov arkansas arkansas department of health secretary of health nathaniel smith, md https://healthy.arkansas.gov california california health and human services agency https://www.cdph.ca.gov colorado colorado department of public health and environment https://www.colorado.gov/cdphe connecticut connecticut department of public health https://portal.ct.gov/dph florida florida department of health secretary and surgeon general vacant http://www.floridahealth.gov georgia georgia department of public health https://dph.georgia.gov hawaii hawaii state department of health https://health.hawaii.gov idaho idaho department of health and welfare https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov illinois illinois department of public health http://www.dph.illinois.gov indiana indiana department of health state health commissioner kristina box, md, facog https://www.in.gov/health/ iowa iowa department of public health director gerd clabaugh, mpa https://idph.iowa.gov kansas kansas department of health and environment secretary & state health officer robert moser, md http://www.kdheks.gov kentucky kentucky cabinet for health and family services https://chfs.ky.gov louisiana louisiana department of health and hospitals http://ldh.la.gov maine maine department of health and human services https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ maryland maryland department of health https://health.maryland.gov massachusetts massachusetts department of public health https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-public-health michigan michigan department of community health https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs mississippi mississippi state department of health state health officer daniel edney, md, facp, fasam https://msdh.ms.gov missouri missouri department of health and senior services https://health.mo.gov montana montana department of public health and human services https://dphhs.mt.gov nebraska nebraska department of health & human services http://www.dhhs.ne.gov nevada nevada department of health and human services http://dhhs.nv.gov new hampshire new hampshire department of health & human services https://www.dhhs.nh.gov new jersey new jersey department of health and senior services https://www.nj.gov/health/ new mexico new mexico department of health https://nmhealth.org new york new york state department of health https://www.health.ny.gov north carolina north carolina department of health and human services https://www.ncdhhs.gov north dakota north dakota department of health https://www.health.nd.gov ohio ohio department of health https://www.odh.ohio.gov oklahoma oklahoma state department of health state health commissioner dr. terry cline https://www.ok.gov/health/ oregon oregon health authority https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph pennsylvania pennsylvania department of health https://www.health.pa.gov rhode island rhode island department of health https://health.ri.gov south carolina south carolina department of health and environmental control https://www.scdhec.gov south dakota south dakota department of health https://doh.sd.gov tennessee tennessee department of health https://www.tn.gov/health texas texas department of state health services https://www.dshs.state.tx.us utah utah department of health https://health.utah.gov vermont vermont department of health https://www.healthvermont.gov virginia virginia department of health http://www.vdh.virginia.gov washington washington state department of health https://www.doh.wa.gov west virginia west virginia department of health and human resources https://dhhr.wv.gov wisconsin wisconsin department of health services https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov wyoming wyoming department of health https://health.wyo.gov