Oklahoma State Department of Health

Last updated

Oklahoma State Department of Health
Agency overview
FormedNovember 17, 1907
Preceding agency
  • Territorial Board of Health
Headquarters Oklahoma Commons
123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Employees1,552 (FY19)
Annual budget$393 million (FY19)
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Keith Reid, Commissioner 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.

Contents

The department is led the State Commissioner of Health, who is appointed by the governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate to serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The Commissioner is the executive officer of the department and is the lead public health authority in the state. To assist the Commissioner is the State Board of Health, composed of nine members appointed by the governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate, which serves as advisory board to the Commissioner. [1]

History

In 1920, governor James B. A. Robertson appointed Sallie Lewis Stephens Sturgeon as a public health inspector for the Oklahoma State Health Department, making her the first woman in the United States to hold such a position. [2]

Leadership

The department is led by the Secretary of Health and the Commissioner of Health. Oklahoma law requires the Commissioner of Health to have professional expertise as any of the following: 1) an actively licensed physician (MD/DO), 2) a doctoral-level degree holder in public health or public health administration, 3) a masters' degree holder with a minimum of five years experience in administering health services. [3]

As of January 2022, under Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stitt, Kevin Corbett serves as Cabinet Secretary (and CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority) and Keith Reid, RN serves as the Interim Commissioner of Health. Reid succeeded Colonel Lance Frye, MD who also served under Governor Kevin Stitt from May 2020 until his resignation on October 25, 2021. [4] OSDH's central office in Oklahoma City provides administrative oversight for the state's system of county health departments, which are overseen by regional administrators reporting to the State Commissioner. [5]

State Board of Health

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.

Current members at any time are listed on the Board's Web site. [6] As of January 2022 the Board was composed of the following members: [7] [8]

NameRegionBoard position
Jeffrey James Lim, M.D.Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woodward, Woods, Major, Alfalfa, Grant, Garfield, Kay and NoblePresident
Bruce L. Storms, M.D.Blaine, Kingfisher, Canadian, Caddo, Grady, Comanche, Jefferson, Stephens and CottonVice President
Randy Grellner, D.O.At-largeSecretary
Jenny Alexopulos, D.O.Ottawa, Delaware, Craig, Mayes, Nowata, Rogers, Washington, Tulsa, Pawnee, and Osage
Kinon E. Whittington, D.O.LeFlore, Latimer, Pittsburg, Atoka, Pushmataha, McCurtain, Choctaw, Bryan, Marshall, Carter, and Love
Charles W. Grim, D.D.S., M.H.S.AAdair, Sequoyah, Cherokee, Wagoner, Muskogee, Haskell, McIntosh, and Okmulgee
R. Murali Krishna, M.D.Logan, Oklahoma, Cleveland, McClain, Garvin, Murray and Payne
Ronald D. Osterhout, M.S.Ellis, Dewey, Custer, Roger Mills, Beckham, Washita, Kiowa, Greer, Jackson, Harmon, and Tillman
Travis Wolff, PharmDCreek, Lincoln, Okfuskee, Seminole, Pottawatomie, Pontotoc, Hughes, Johnston and Coal

Organization

As of January 2023, the organization of the department is as follows:

Management and finance

Staffing

The Health Department, with an annual budget of well over $300 million, is one of the largest employers of the State. For fiscal year 2014, the department was authorized 2,148 full-time employees.

DivisionNumber of Employees
Public Health Infrastructure163
Protective Health Services270
Prevention and Preparedness211
Health Improvement Services130
Community and Family Health1374
Total2,148

Budget

The divisions of the department operation with the following operating budgets for Fiscal Year 2019: [9]

ProgramFunding (in millions)
Public Health Infrastructure$28.8
Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority$10.2
Prevention and Preparedness$61.6
Protective Health Services$62.6
Community and Family Health Services$179.3
Health Improvement$21.5
Data Processing and Public Policy$32.9
Total$392.5

Supporting agencies

References

  1. ↑ "Board of Health - Oklahoma State Department of Health". Oklahoma State Department of Health. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  2. ↑ Brown, Opal Hartsell (1994). Indomitable Oklahoma Women. Oklahoma Heritage Association. ISBN   978-0-86546-088-1.
  3. ↑ "State Commissioner of Health - Qualifications - Powers and Duties". www.oscn.net. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  4. ↑ Sweeney, Catherine (October 22, 2021). "Lance Frye out as Oklahoma health commissioner". KOSU. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Joint Commission on Public Health - Final Report" (PDF). March 16, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Board of Health Members". Oklahoma Health Department. Updated as required.
  7. ↑ "Board Members - Oklahoma State Department of Health". Oklahoma State Department of Health. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Executive Appointments". www.sos.ok.gov. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  9. ↑ "FY 2020 State Budget, Oklahoma Office of State Finance" (PDF). Retrieved October 2, 2019.
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