4265 Department of Public Health
Program Descriptions

4040010 - EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

The Public Health Emergency Preparedness program coordinates preparedness and response activities for all public health emergencies, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and pandemic diseases. The program plans and supports surge capacity in the medical care and public health systems to meet needs during emergencies. The program also administers federal and state funds that support Public Health emergency preparedness activities.

4045 - PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

The Public and Environmental Health program objectives are to prevent disease and premature death and to enhance the health and well-being of all Californians. These objectives are achieved by:
  • Working with local agencies that protect and enhance public health.
  • Monitoring the incidence, prevalence, and trends of infectious and chronic non-infectious diseases.
  • Coordinating prevention-related programs to promote healthy environments and prevent and minimize the incidence, prevalence, and duration of infectious diseases, injuries, violence, and chronic diseases.
  • Regulating and developing partnerships with non-profit organizations and public and private businesses and industries to achieve and maintain a healthful environment.
  • Designing community and environmental health promotion, risk assessment, intervention, and treatment strategies, and evaluating their cost-effectiveness.
  • Promoting changes to increase the prevalence of healthy behaviors, including reducing tobacco use, increasing intake of healthy foods and beverages, and increasing physical activity.
  • Providing quality laboratory services for biomedical, bioenvironmental, forensic alcohol, and methadone drug analyses.
  • Supporting research into the causes, prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer and other chronic diseases.

4045010 - Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion:
This program works to prevent and control chronic diseases, injuries, and violence. Chronic diseases include cancer, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and diabetes. Injury and violence include unintentional injuries such as falls, motor vehicle crashes, and drowning. The Center activities include: reducing the prevalence of obesity, developing the public health workforce; preventing and controlling injuries, violence, deaths, and diseases related to behavioral, environmental, and occupational factors; promoting and supporting safe and healthy environments in all communities and workplaces; and preventing and treating problem gambling. This program includes Chronic Disease and Injury Control, Environmental and Occupational Disease Control, and the Office of Problem Gambling.

4045023 - Infectious Diseases:
This program works to prevent and control infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, influenza and other vaccine preventable illnesses, tuberculosis, emerging infections, and foodborne illnesses. This program includes Communicable Disease Control, the Office of AIDS, the Office of Binational Border Health, and the Office of Refugee Health.

4045032 - Family Health:
This program works to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities in health outcomes for girls and women of reproductive age, pregnant and postpartum women, infants, children, and adolescents and their families. This program includes Genetic Disease Screening; Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health; and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

4045041 - Health Statistics and Informatics:
This program works to improve public health by developing data systems and facilitating the collection, validation, analysis, and dissemination of health information. This program includes Vital Records and Public Health Informatics.

4045050 - County Health Services:
This program supports county-based public health information and services, including the Medical Marijuana Card Program.

4045059 - Environmental Health:
This program works to protect and improve the health of all California residents by ensuring the safety of food, drugs, and medical devices; conducting environmental management programs; and overseeing the use of radiation through investigation, inspection, laboratory testing, and regulatory activities. This program includes Environmental Management, the Drinking Water and Radiation Laboratory, Food and Drug Safety, Radiologic Health, and the Food and Drug Laboratory.

4050 - LICENSING AND CERTIFICATION

4050010 - Health Facilities:
This program regulates the quality of care in approximately 8,000 public and private health facilities, clinics, and agencies throughout the state; licenses Nursing Home Administrators; and certifies Nurse Assistants, Home Health Aides, Hemodialysis Technicians, and other direct care staff.

4050019 - Laboratory Field Services:
This program regulates quality standards in approximately 19,000 clinical laboratories, public health laboratories, blood banks, and tissue banks in California; and licenses approximately 60,000 scientific classifications that include 30 different categories of laboratory personnel including laboratory scientists, phlebotomists, genetic scientists, and clinical chemists.

9900 - DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATION

This program provides overall management, planning, policy development, and administrative support services for all Public Health programs. This program is carried out by the Executive Division, the Office of Health Equity, the Office of Compliance, the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of Quality Performance and Accreditation, the Office of Legal Services, Legislative and Governmental Affairs, the Information Technology Services Division, and the Administration Division.