New York State Department of Health

Last updated
New York State Department of Health
New York State Department of Health.svg
Department overview
FormedFebruary 19, 1901 (1901-02-19)
Jurisdiction New York
Headquarters Albany, NY
Department executive
  • James V. McDonald M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner (Appointed June 9, 2023)
Key document
Website www.health.ny.gov OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The New York State Department of Health is the department of the New York state government responsible for public health. Its regulations are compiled in title 10 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations .

Contents

Public health infrastructure

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes the public health infrastructure as three components: workforce capacity and competency: the recruitment, continuing education, and retention of health professionals; organizational capacity: the consortium of public health agencies and laboratories, working with private and nonprofit organizations; and information and data systems: the up-to-date guidelines, recommendations and health alerts, and the information and systems that monitor disease and enable efficient communication. [1]

A nurse pinning ceremony at Nazareth College. Nurses represent a majority of rural public health workers. Nurse Pinning Ceremony 2015 (17520908552).jpg
A nurse pinning ceremony at Nazareth College. Nurses represent a majority of rural public health workers.

New York State relies on a county-based system for delivery of public health services. [2] The Department of Health promotes the prevention and disease control, environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and emergency preparedness and response; supervises local health boards; oversees reporting and vital records; conducts surveillance of hospitals; does research at the Wadsworth Center; and administers several other health insurance programs and institutions. [2] 58 local health departments offer core services including assessing community health, disease control and prevention, family health, and health education; 37 localities provide environmental health services, while the other 21 rely on the state's Department of Health. [2]

At the local level, public health workers are found not only in local health agencies but also in private and nonprofit organizations concerned with the public's health. [1] The most common professional disciplines are physicians, nurses, environmental specialists, laboratorians, health educators, disease investigators, outreach workers, and managers, but also includes allied health professions. [1] Nurses represented 22% of the localities' workforce (and 42% of full-time equivalent workers in rural localities), scientific/investigative staff represented 22%–27% of the workforce, support staff represented 28%, education/outreach staff represented 10%, and physicians represented 1%. [2] In 2018 the New York State Department of Health had over 3300 personnel in its central office, three regional offices, three field offices and nine district health offices, and an additional 1400 personnel in its five healthcare institutions. [3]

Statewide Health Information Network

The Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY, pronounced "shiny") is a health information exchange that allows healthcare providers to access and share patient data, managed by the nonprofit New York eHealth Collaborative. The Regional Health Information Organizations include:

History

The 1858 Staten Island Quarantine War was a series of attacks on the New York Marine Hospital in Staten Island Nypl.digitalcollections.510d47e1-281b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.001.w.jpg
The 1858 Staten Island Quarantine War was a series of attacks on the New York Marine Hospital in Staten Island

The earliest New York state laws regarding public health were quarantine laws for the port of New York, first passed by the New York General Assembly in 1758. [4] [5] The 1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic precipitated the 1799–1800 creation of the New York Marine Hospital, and in 1801 its resident physician and the health officers of the port were constituted as the New York City board of health. The 1826–1837 cholera pandemic precipitated further legislation. In 1847 a law mandated civil registration of vital events (births, marriages, and deaths). In 1866, the state legislature passed the Metropolitan Health Law and established the NYC Metropolitan Board of Health, and in 1870 the legislature replaced it with the NYC Department of Health. [6] [7]

The State Board of Health was created 18 May 1880 by the 103rd Legislature. [8] The 1881–1896 cholera pandemic further caused an expansion of its powers to compel reporting and to perform the duties of local boards of health. The State Department of Health and its commissioner were created by an act of 19 February 1901 of the 124th Legislature, superseding the board. [9]

List of commissioners

NameDates in OfficeGovernors ServedComments
Daniel Lewis March 6, 1901 [10] – Early 1905 Benjamin B. Odell, Jr. Previously was President of the State Board of Health, which became the Department of Health, and served out full term
Eugene H. Porter May 1905 [11] – Early 1914 Frank W. Higgins, Charles Evans Hughes,
Horace White, John Alden Dix,
William Sulzer, Martin H. Glynn 		Served out his term
Hermann M. Biggs January 19, 1914 [12] – June 28, 1923 [13] Martin H. Glynn, Charles S. Whitman,
Alfred E. Smith, Nathan L. Miller 		Died while serving
Matthias Nicoll Jr. July 12, 1923 [14] – January 11, 1930 [15] Alfred E. Smith, Franklin D. Roosevelt Resigned to become Commissioner of the Westchester County (New York) Department of Health
Thomas J. Parran, Jr. March 5, 1930 [16] – May 6, 1936 [17] Franklin D. Roosevelt, Herbert Lehman Resigned to become Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service
Edward S. Godfrey April 21, 1936 [18] – May 1, 1947 [19] Herbert Lehman, Charles Poletti, Thomas E. Dewey Retired
Herman E. Hilleboe July 1, 1947 [20] – January 7, 1963 [21] Thomas E. Dewey, W. Averell Harriman,
Nelson A. Rockefeller 		Became head of the Division of Public Health Practice at the Columbia University School of Public Health [22]
Hollis S. Ingraham January 7, 1963? [21] – January 2, 1975 [23] [24] Nelson A. RockefellerServed out full term
Robert P. WhalenJanuary 2, 1975 [23] – April 29, 1975 [25] (acting)
April 29, 1975 [25] – December 31,1978 [26] 		Hugh Carey Resigned to become Vice chairman of the New York State Health Planning Commission
David Axelrod January 1, 1979 [27] – May 12, 1991 [28] Hugh Carey, Mario M. Cuomo Resigned after a severe stroke [29]
Lorna McBarnette February 25, 1991 – June 9, 1992Mario M. CuomoActing [30]
Mark R. Chassin June 9, 1992 [31] – December 31, 1994Mario M. CuomoServed out full term
Barbara Ann DeBuono Early February 1995 [32] – November 1, 1998 [33] George E. Pataki Resigned to become an executive in the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
Dennis P. Whalen November 1, 1998 – June 1999George E. PatakiActing [34]
Antonia C. Novello June 1999 [35] – December 31, 2006George E. PatakiServed out full term
Richard F. Daines February 2007 [36] – December 31, 2010 [37] Eliot Spitzer, David Paterson Served out full term
Nirav R. Shah January 24, 2011 [38] – May 4, 2014 Andrew Cuomo Resigned to become chief operating officer at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California [39]
Howard A. Zucker May 4, 2014 – May 5, 2015 (acting)
May 5, 2015 [40] – December 1, 2021		Andrew Cuomo, Kathy Hochul Part of Governor Cuomo and Hochul's COVID-19 task force during the pandemic [41]
Mary T. Bassett December 1, 2021 – January 1, 2023Kathy HochulPart of Governor Hochul's COVID-19 task force during the pandemic [42]
James V. McDonaldJanuary 1, 2023 – June 9, 2023 (acting)
June 9, 2023 [43] – current		Kathy HochulCurrent commissioner

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Pataki</span> Governor of New York from 1995 to 2006

George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who served as the 53rd Governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as the Mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984. Pataki was the third Republican since 1923 to win New York's governorship, after Thomas E. Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller, and is the most recent one to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Cuomo</span> Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994

Mario Matthew Cuomo was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as the lieutenant governor of New York from 1979 to 1982 and the secretary of State of New York from 1975 to 1978. He was the father of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and NewsNation anchor Christopher Cuomo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Cuomo</span> Governor of New York from 2011 to 2021

Andrew Mark Cuomo is an American politician, lawyer, and former government official who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, Cuomo previously served as the attorney general of New York from 2007 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermann Biggs</span> American physician

Hermann Michael Biggs was an American physician and pioneer in the field of public health who helped apply the science of bacteriology to the prevention and control of infectious diseases. He was born in Trumansburg, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene</span> New York City government agency

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is the department of the government of New York City responsible for public health along with issuing birth certificates, dog licenses, and conducting restaurant inspection and enforcement. The New York City Board of Health is part of the department. Its regulations are compiled in title 24 of the New York City Rules. Since March 2022, the commissioner has been Ashwin Vasan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Department of Environmental Conservation</span> New Yorks state-level environmental regulator

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection of New York's natural resources; manages Forest Preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill parks, state forest lands, and wildlife management areas; regulates sport fishing, hunting and trapping; and enforces the state's environmental laws and regulations. Its regulations are compiled in Title 6 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. It was founded in 1970, replacing the Conservation Department, and is headed by Basil Seggos.

The New York State Department of Labor is the department of the New York state government that enforces labor law and administers unemployment benefits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York energy law</span>

New York energy law is the statutory, regulatory, and common law of the state of New York concerning the policy, conservation, taxation, and utilities involved in energy. Secondary sources have also influenced energy law in New York.

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is an agency of the New York state government within the Department of Family Assistance. The office has its headquarters in the Capital View Office Park in Rensselaer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in New York</span>

The U.S. state of New York has generally been seen as socially liberal in regard to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights. LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". The advocacy movement for LGBT rights in the state has been dated as far back as 1969 during the Stonewall riots in New York City. Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults has been legal since the New York v. Onofre case in 1980. Same-sex marriage has been legal statewide since 2011, with some cities recognizing domestic partnerships between same-sex couples since 1998. Discrimination protections in credit, housing, employment, education, and public accommodation have explicitly included sexual orientation since 2003 and gender identity or expression since 2019. Transgender people in the state legally do not have to undergo sex reassignment surgery to change their sex or gender on official documents since 2014. In addition, both conversion therapy on minors and the gay and trans panic defense have been banned since 2019. Since 2021, commercial surrogacy has been legally available within New York State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Department of Mental Hygiene</span> Department of the New York state government

The Department of Mental Hygiene (DMH) is an agency of the New York state government composed of three autonomous offices:

David Axelrod (1935–1994) was a New York physician and bureaucrat.

The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, commonly known as the NY SAFE Act, is a gun control law in the state of New York. The law was passed by the New York State Legislature and was signed into law by Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo in January 2013. The legislation was written in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and the Webster, New York, shooting. Cuomo described the law as the toughest gun control law in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets</span> Department of the New York state government

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is the department of the New York state government that enforces laws relating to agriculture, weights and measures, and the production, processing, transportation, storage, marketing and distributing of food. It principally investigates animal and plant diseases, regulates food safety and labeling, promotes state agriculture, and administers the New York State Fair. Its regulations are compiled in title 1 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in New York</span>

Cannabis in New York has been legal for medical purposes under New York law since 2016, and recreational purposes since 2021. As of 2022, recreational cannabis is for sale legally in the state, only through state-approved dispensaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick B. Burke</span> American politician (born 1984)

Patrick B. Burke is an American politician who serves in the New York State Assembly from the 142nd district, which represents South Buffalo, the City of Lackawanna, and the towns of West Seneca and Orchard Park. Burke is a South Buffalo native.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)</span>

The first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. state of New York during the pandemic was confirmed on March 1, 2020, and the state quickly became an epicenter of the pandemic, with a record 12,274 new cases reported on April 4 and approximately 29,000 more deaths reported for the month of April than the same month in 2019. By April 10, New York had more confirmed cases than any country outside the US. As of August 11, 2023, the state has reported 131.3 million tests, with 6,722,301 cumulative cases, and 79,960 deaths.

The government of New York state initially responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with a stay-at-home order in March 2020. As the pandemic progressed in New York state and throughout the rest of the country, the state government, following recommendations issued by the U.S. government regarding state and local government responses, began imposing social distancing measures and workplace hazard controls.

Matthias Nicoll Jr. was an American physician and New York State Health Commissioner.

The New York State Task Force on Life and the Law is a multidisciplinary advisory body formed to study and recommend public policies for New York State on bioethical issues.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2001). Public Health's Infrastructure: A Status Report.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  2. 1 2 3 4 New York State Public Health Council (December 2003). Strengthening New York's Public Health System for the 21st Century. OCLC   180188059.
  3. ↑ New York State Public Health Council. NYS Department of Health 2018 Annual Report (PDF).
  4. ↑ New York State Department of Health (1910). Thirtieth Annual report of the State Department of Health of New York for the year ending December 31, 1909. pp. 490–492. OCLC   1760127.
  5. ↑ "An Act to prevent the bringing in and Spreading of Infectious Distempers in this Colony". The Colonial Laws of New York from the Year 1664 to the Revolution. Vol. 4. J. B. Lyon, state printer. 1894. pp. 237–239. hdl:2027/mdp.39015011398438. LCCN   28028259. Chapter 1061 of Van Schaack, chapter 139 (vol. 2) of Livingston & Smith, enacted 24 March 1758, expired 1 January 1762. See also chapter 1213 on page 707.
  6. ↑ Chapter 74 of the Laws of 1866, volume 1, pages 114–144, enacted 26 February 1866, at § 5.
  7. ↑ Chapter 137, Laws of 1870, enacted 5 April 1870, page 373, at § 30; and also page 388, at § 90 et seq.
  8. ↑ Chapter 322 of the Laws of 1880, pages 465–468, enacted 18 May 1880, at § 13.
  9. ↑ Chapter 29 of the Laws of 1901, pages 31–37, enacted 19 February 1901, at § 4.
  10. ↑ "Nominations Confirmed". New York Times. March 7, 1901. p. 6. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "McMackin Out, Sherman In Child — Labor Committee Wins Fight — Homeopath for Health Board". New York Times. May 4, 1905. p. 5. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  12. ↑ "Dr. Biggs Health Chief — Nominated for State Commissioner and Quickly Confirmed". New York Times. January 20, 1914. p. 6. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "Dr. Hermann Biggs Dies of Pneumonia — State Commissioner of Health Stricken at His Camp in Adirondacks — Long Eminent In City — He Introduced Diphtheria Antitoxin in This Country and Was an Authority on Tuberculosis". New York Times. June 29, 1923. p. 17. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  14. ↑ "Dr. Nicoll Health Chief — Governor Smith Appoints Former Associate of Dr. Biggs". New York Times. July 13, 1923. p. 14. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  15. ↑ "Dr. Nicoll Resigns State Health Post — Physician, Just Reappointed, Will Take the Place of Commissioner in Westchester — Will Form a County Unit — Free Hand Has Been Granted to Him to Organize Service — Praised by Governor Roosevelt". New York Times. January 12, 1930. p. 27. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "Condemns Delaying State Building Bill — Governor Takes Republicans to Task for Holding Up Appropriation Two Months — Eleven Bills Approved — They Include an Addition to Workmen's Compensation Law — Two Measures Are Vetoed". New York Times. March 6, 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  17. ↑ "Dr. Parran is Sworn In — He Becomes Surgeon General as Morgenthau Praises Record". New York Times. May 7, 1936. p. 18. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  18. ↑ "Jury-Change Bill Killed at Albany — Proposal for Five-sixths Verdicts in Civil Suits Beaten in Senate After Attack — Injury Measures Lost — Byrn Proposals All Defeated — Godfrey Confirmed as State Health Commissioner". New York Times. April 22, 1936. p. 4. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  19. ↑ "Dr. Godfrey Quits State Health Post — Retiring Commissioner Hails Freedom Given Him by Both Dewey and Lehman". New York Times. May 2, 1947. p. 26. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  20. ↑ "Dr. Hilleboe Begins State Health Task — E.J. Donovan, D.H. Grant Enter Parole Board — MacCormack Assumes Standards Duties". New York Times. July 2, 1947. p. 24. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  21. 1 2 "Page 4 of a Summary of the News During Period of the New York Newspaper Strike". New York Times. April 1, 1963. p. 32. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  22. ↑ "Miscellany — Herman E. Hilleboe, M.D.". Archives of Environmental Health. 12 (6): 786. 1966. doi:10.1080/00039896.1966.10664482.
  23. 1 2 "Carey Tours Two Agencies and Vows To Improve Health-Care Monitoring". New York Times. January 3, 1975. p. 28. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  24. ↑ "Hollis Ingraham, 86, Health Official". New York Times. June 2, 1994. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  25. 1 2 "Snag Develops in Albany On U.D.C. Fiscal Trouble - New Officials". New York Times. April 30, 1975. p. 41. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  26. ↑ "Whalen Resigns As Health Chief". New York Times. December 2, 1978. p. 27. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  27. ↑ McNeil, Jr., Donald G. (December 27, 1978). "3 Chemical Sites Near Love Canal Possible Hazard". New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  28. ↑ Sack, Kevin (April 18, 1991). "Axelrod Retires From Health Post". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  29. ↑ Sack, Kevin (February 27, 1991). "Health Commissioner Is in Intensive Care". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  30. ↑ "New York Health Care: Less Money, More Ills, No Chiefs". New York Times. June 1, 1991. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  31. ↑ "Health Chief Is Confirmed After Long Delay". New York Times. June 10, 1992. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  32. ↑ Fritsch, Jane (March 8, 1995). "State Regulators Review New York City's Public Hospitals". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  33. ↑ Fisher, Ian (July 29, 1998). "Health Commissioner Is Leaving". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  34. ↑ Hernandez, Raymond (May 27, 1999). "U.S. Lets New York Shift Most Poor to Managed Care". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  35. ↑ Levy, Clifford J. (June 19, 1999). "Albany Notes; A Longer Lobbying Law, But Not a Tougher One — Winning Over The Skeptics". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  36. ↑ Finn, Robin (February 2, 2007). "New Man in the Hot Seat of State Health Commissioner". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  37. ↑ Hartocollis, Anemona (March 2, 2011). "Richard F. Daines, 60, Ex-State Health Chief". New York Times. p. A23. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  38. ↑ "Governor Cuomo Announces Health Commissioner Unanimously Confirmed by New York State Senate". www.governor.ny.gov. Office of the Governor of New York. January 24, 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  39. ↑ "Press Release — Nirav Shah, MD, Joins Kaiser Permanente — Former New York State Health Commissioner to Lead Southern California Clinical Operations". share.kaiserpermanente.org. Kaiser Permanente. May 5, 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  40. ↑ "New York State Senate Standing Committee on Health - Preliminary Legislative Highlights 2015 Legislative Session" (PDF). www.nysenate.gov. New York State Senate. July 2015. p. 6. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  41. ↑ "At Novel Coronavirus Briefing, Governor Cuomo Confirms 11 Additional Cases - Bringing Statewide Total to 33". Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  42. ↑ Silberstein, Rachel (December 2, 2023). "N.Y. health commissioner Mary Bassett to step down". Albany Times Union. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  43. ↑ Silberstein, Rachel (June 16, 2023). "New York's health commissioner chose medicine over the pharmacy business". Albany Times-Union. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.