| Oklahoma State Department of Health | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | November 17, 1907 |
| Preceding agency | Territorial Board of Health |
| Headquarters | 120 N Robinson Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Employees | 2,368 (FY11) |
| Annual budget | $373 million (FY11) |
| Minister responsible | Terry Cline, Ph.D., Secretary of Health and Human Services |
| Agency executive | Terry Cline, Ph.D., Commissioner of Health |
| Parent agency | Oklahoma State Board of Health |
| Website | |
| ok.gov/health | |
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Health. The department is responsible for protecting the health of all Oklahomans and providing other essential human services. The OSDH serves as the primary public health protection agency in the state.
The department is led by a State Board of Health, composed of nine members appointed by the governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate. The board in turn appoints the State Commissioner of Health, who serves as the executive officer of the department and is the lead public health authority in the state.
The 20th, and current, Commissioner of Health is Dr. Terry Cline, Ph.D., who was appointed by the board on June 30, 2009. Governor Mary Fallin appointed Cline to served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2011 in addition to his duties as Health Commissioner.
The Department was created in 1963 during the term of Governor Henry Bellmon.
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The Department is led by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Commissioner of Health. Under Governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin, Dr. Terry Cline is both the Cabinet Secretary and the Commissioner.
The State Board of Health is the governing body of the Health Department. The Board is composed of nine members appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate. Each Board member serves a nine-year term. Eight of the nine members represent specific county regions of the state and one member is appointed to represent the state at large.
As of 2010, the Board is composed of the following members:
| Name | Region | Board position |
|---|---|---|
| Jenny Alexopulos, D.O | Ottawa, Delaware, Craig, Mayes, Nowata, Rogers, Washington, Tulsa, Pawnee, and Osage counties | President |
| R. Murali Krishna, MD | Logan, Oklahoma, Cleveland, McClain, Garvin, Murray and Payne counties | Vice President |
| Cris Hart-Wolfe | Ellis, Dewey, Custer, Roger Mills, Beckham, Washita, Kiowa, Greer, Jackson, Harmon, and Tillman counties | Secretary-Treasurer |
| Michael D. Anderson, PhD | State at-large | |
| Alfred Baldwin Jr | Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woodward, Woods, Major, Alfalfa, Grant, Garfield, Kay and Noble counties | |
| Richard G. Davis, DDS | Pottawatomie, Creek, Lincoln, Okfuskee, Seminole, Pontotoc, Hughes, Johnson, and Coal counties | |
| Kenneth Miller, MD | LeFlore, Latimer, Pittsburg, Atoka, Pushmataha, McCurtain, Choctaw, Bryan, Marshall, Carter, and Love counties | |
| Barry L. Smith, J.D. | Adair, Sequoyah, Cherokee, Wagoner, Muskogee, Haskell, McIntosh, and Okmulgee counties | |
| Ronald Woodson, M.D. | Blaine, Kingfisher, Canadian, Caddo, Grady, Comanche, Jefferson, Stephens, and Cotton counties |
Prior to the appointment of Terry Cline as the State Health Commissioner in 2009, the State Health Department was divided into five service branches: Administrative Services, Community Health Services, Family Health Services, Disease & Prevention Services and Protective Health Services. Since taking over the Department, Commissioner Cline has streamlined the organization into four divisions: Administrative Services, Protective Health Services, Community & Family Health Services, and Prevention & Prepardeness Services.
The Department provide technical support and guidance to the 68 county health departments as well as guidance and consultation to the two independent city-county health departments in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
The Health Department, with an annual budget of well over $300 million, is one of the largest employers of the State. For fiscal year 2011, the Department was authorized 2,368 full time employees.[1]
| Division | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Support Services | 333 |
| Disease and Prevention Services | 237 |
| Family Health Services | 238 |
| Community Health Services | 1288 |
| Protective Health Services | 272 |
| Total | 2,368 |
The divisions of the Department operation with the following operating budgets for Fiscal Year 2010:[2]
| Program | Funding (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Support Services | $42 |
| Diease and Prevention Services | $70 |
| Family Health | $134 |
| Community Health Services | $102 |
| Protective Health Services | $55 |
| Total | $405 |
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