This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines.(August 2020) |
Agency overview | |
---|---|
Jurisdiction | State of Tennessee |
Headquarters | 710 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, Tennessee |
Employees | 3,400 |
Agency executive |
|
Website | www.tn.gov/health, History |
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is the primary agency of state government in Tennessee responsible for public health. Its workforce provides a variety of direct and indirect services to residents and visitors in all 95 counties of the state.
In 2014, some 1.4 million of Tennessee's 6.6 million people received direct services in the 89 rural county health departments or the six metropolitan county health departments. [1] Each year the department, in collaboration with many communities, creates a state health plan [2] to help provide direction for the department.
The Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health is appointed by the Governor and oversees an enterprise affecting population health across the state. The commissioner, in turn, has an executive leadership team reporting directly to him that manages various areas or responsibilities within the department. The department has had 15 Commissioners since its creation in 1923. [3] The current Commissioner is Ralph Alvarado, MD, FACP. He has served since 2023.
The Tennessee Department of Health has seven regional offices [4] located across Tennessee; each of these is responsible for assisting county health departments within their jurisdiction. The TDH commissioner is responsible for appointing both regional and county directors.
There are six metro health departments [5] in Tennessee, located in the following counties: Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Shelby, and Sullivan. Though not under the direct supervision of the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, metro health department directors and staff members work collaboratively with TDH regional and TDH central office staff on a variety of public health services and functions. By statute, the Commissioner, in consultation with county mayors, appoints each new county director including metros. [6] By tradition, metro health departments are engaged directly in day-to-day pre-decisional tactical operations through the Health Systems Council structure. The metro health departments serve approximately 40 percent of Tennesseans and are another source of population health innovations that are often identified as best practices and adopted by their rural counterparts statewide.
In both rural and metro areas, a county board of health, whose members are appointed under their local form of governance and serve varying term lengths without financial compensation, provide oversight of their county's public health department. County boards of health typically include at least one medical doctor. Each county also has a separate and distinct county health council. These positions are also appointed and uncompensated.
Metro and rural county health departments routinely engage with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency in preparedness exercises for both natural and man-made disasters that may affect population health.
The Tennessee Department of Health provides staff members for the 24 Health Professional Boards, three committees, two councils and four registries responsible for the licensure and regulation of more than three dozen health and medical professions in Tennessee. Approximately 260,000 individuals are licensed and regulated by the boards. Board members are appointed by the Governor. Tennessee has had a licensing board for health professionals since 1947. Additionally, the Tennessee Office of Health Care Facilities licenses 14 different types of facilities. Currently, more 2,400 facilities are inspected.
The Tennessee Department of Health maintains a free online information portal for anyone to review licensure status of health and medical professionals:
https://apps.health.tn.gov/Licensure/default.aspx
There is also a free online information portal to review status of licensed health-related facilities in Tennessee: https://apps.health.tn.gov/FacilityInspections/
Tennessee's network of county health departments assures all residents have access to a variety of local health services intended to maintain or improve health. Services include wellchild exams, fluoride varnish applications, immunizations, family planning, control of sexually transmitted diseases, nutrition counseling, the Women, Infants and Children program, children's special services, prenatal care, the Help Us Grow Successfully (HUGS) program, Vital Records, Environmental Health Inspection programs and others. In some county health departments, medical staff members are available for diagnosing and treating acute and chronic illnesses; some also provide dental care.
County health departments can also assist with those wanting certificates of births and deaths that occur in Tennessee. Records Vital Records pertaining to deaths and marriages are available from the TDH central office in Nashville. For information about genealogy, researchers may also find information at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
The Tennessee Department of Health and local county health departments regulate and inspect many locations and establishments. In the case of food, the department partners with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in licensing and regulating providers. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) is responsible for those food service providers that are physically a part of another retail establishment, such as a gas station or convenience store. Establishments, operations and services licensed and regulated by the Tennessee Department of Health include food service providers that are ‘free-standing’ and not associated with other retail operations; hotels, motels and camps; public swimming pools, spas, hot tubs and camps; body art facilities; correctional facilities; and more.
The department maintains efforts to prevent the spread of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. [7] Tennessee is home to a number of insects or arthropods that are known carriers of disease. Illnesses such as West Nile Virus, La Cross Encephalitis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, though rare, do occur in the state. Rabies, once a scourge in the state, is exceptionally rare thanks to effective vaccination programs for animals and heightened awareness in humans. The Tennessee Department of Environment of Conservation, once a part of TDH, has been a separate department since 1992, providing a range of environment protection services.
TDH Laboratory Services provide analytical services of medical and environmental testing at its facilities in Nashville and Knoxville. [8]
An emergency medical technician is a medical professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found serving on ambulances and in fire departments in the US and Canada, as full-time and some part-time departments require their firefighters to be EMT certified.
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who specializes in the preparation, dispensing, and management of medications. A pharmacist provides pharmaceutical advice and guidance, often serving as a primary care provider in the community, and offering other services, such as health screenings and immunizations.
A medical license is an occupational license that permits a person to legally practice medicine. In most countries, a person must have a medical license bestowed either by a specified government-approved professional association or a government agency before they can practice medicine. Licenses are not granted automatically to all people with medical degrees. A medical school graduate must receive a license to practice medicine to legally be called a physician. The process typically requires testing by a medical board. The medical license is the documentation of authority to practice medicine within a certain locality. An active license is also required to practice medicine as an assistant physician, a physician assistant or a clinical officer in jurisdictions with authorizing legislation.
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.
A nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice registered nurse and a type of mid-level practitioner. NPs are trained to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose disease, prescribe medications and formulate treatment plans. NP training covers basic disease prevention, coordination of care, and health promotion.
The Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) is a Cabinet-level agency within Tennessee state government, currently led by Greg Gonzales, Commissioner of Financial Institutions. The department is responsible for regulating Tennessee's banking system, including state-chartered banks and credit unions, and handling consumer complaints involving state regulated financial institutions. The department is divided into the Administrative/Legal Division, Bank Division, Compliance Division, Consumer Resources Division, and the Credit Union Division - each of which is led by an Assistant Commissioner.
The Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards, based in Greeley, Colorado, is a non-profit organization which facilitates the coordination and communication of the 50 individual United States' chiropractic licensing boards.
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) is an agency of the Government of Oklahoma responsible for providing public health services relating to mental illness and substance abuse.
The government of Miami-Dade County is defined and authorized under the Constitution of Florida, Florida law, and the Home Rule Charter of Miami-Dade County.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is a governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with various responsibilities related to public health within that state. It is headquartered in Boston and headed by Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD.
In the United States, the state governments have jurisdiction for issuing most professional licenses to individuals and corporations. In areas that naturally cross states' borders, the national government may be the issuer. Thus the Federal Aviation Administration certificates pilots and other aviation related professionals, such as mechanics and instructors. The Federal Communications Commission certifies persons operating and repairing amateur and many commercial radio transmitters. The Environmental Protection Agency requires that technicians recycling Freon be examined. In many of these areas the federal government approves organizations to test and certify applicants who meet its standards.
An advanced emergency medical technician (AEMT) is a provider of emergency medical services in the United States. A transition to this level of training from the emergency medical technician-intermediate, which have somewhat less training, began in 2013 and has been implemented by most states. AEMTs are not intended to deliver definitive medical care in most cases, but rather to augment prehospital critical care and provide rapid on-scene treatment. AEMTs are usually employed in ambulance services, working in conjunction with EMTs and paramedics; however they are also commonly found in fire departments and law enforcement agencies as non-transporting first responders. Ambulances operating at the AEMT level of care are commonplace in rural areas, and occasionally found in larger cities as part of a tiered-response system, but are overall much less common than EMT- and paramedic-level ambulances. The AEMT provides a low-cost, high-benefit option to provide advanced-level care when the paramedic level of care is not feasible. The AEMT is authorized to provide limited advanced life support, which is beyond the scope of an EMT.
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) of the United States is a national non-profit organization that represents the 71 state medical and osteopathic boards of the United States and its territories and co-sponsors the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Medical boards license physicians, investigate complaints, discipline those who violate the law, conduct physician evaluations, and facilitate the rehabilitation of physicians where appropriate. The FSMB's mission calls for "continual improvement in the quality, safety and integrity of health care through the development and promotion of high standards for physician licensure and practice."
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is the Illinois state government code department that through its operational components, the Division of Banking, Division of Financial Institutions, Division of Professional Regulation, and Division of Real Estate, oversees the regulation and licensure of banks and financial institutions, real estate businesses and professionals, and various licensed professions, and is charged with enforcing standards of professional practice and protecting the rights of Illinois residents in their transactions with regulated industries.
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 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 and Safety Codes, notably the licensing of some types of healthcare facilities. One of its functions is to oversee vital records operations throughout the state.
The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) was established in 1929 as the Contractors License Bureau under the Department of Professional and Vocational Standards. Today it is part of the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA).
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WisDHS) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for maintaining public health. It administers a wide range of services in the state and at state institutions, regulates hospitals and care providers, and supervises and consults with local public health agencies. Its responsibilities include public health; mental health and substance abuse; long-term support and care; services to people with disabilities, medical assistance, and children’s services; aging programs; physical and developmental disability services; blindness disability programs; operation of care and treatment facilities; quality assurance programs; nutrition supplementation programs; medical assistance; and health care for low-income families, elderly, and the disabled.
The Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System (VAHCS) is network of hospital and outpatient clinics based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. It belongs to the VISN23 VA Midwest Health Care Network managed by the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Minneapolis VAHCS provides healthcare for United States military veterans in areas such as medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care. As a teaching hospital, it operates comprehensive training programs for multiple treatment specialties. The Minneapolis VAHCS also hosts one of the largest research programs of any VA health care system and maintains research affiliations with the University of Minnesota.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Tennessee on March 5, 2020. As of June 5, 2022, there are 2,023,815 confirmed cases, 26,103 deaths, and 12,825,885 reported tests.