General Organization of the Department of Health

PURPOSE: As required by section 536.023, RSMo (1986), this rule describes the organization of the department and where the public may obtain information about the department. (1) The Department of Health was created and established, effective September 28, 1985, by the 83rd General Assembly by Senate Bill 25 under the authority of Article IV, Section 12, of the Constitution. The department is charged with the responsibility for supervising and managing public health functions and programs transferred to the department by type I transfer including but not limited to, responsibilities and functions set forth in chapters 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 195, 196, 197, 199 and 201, RSMo. The State Cancer Center and Cancer Commission, chapter 200, RSMo were transferred to the Department of Health by type III transfer. Such transfers are defined in section 1 of the Omnibus State Reorganization Act of 1974, Appendix B, RSMo (1986). (2) The department director, appointed by the governor by and with the advice and consent of the senate, is the chief executive officer of the department. The State Board of Health, appointed by the governor and with the advice and consent of the senate, advises the department on the promulgation of rules and formulation of the budget. The director appoints the management staff including the deputy director, principal assistants, legal counsel and division directors. The deputy director, who acts for the director in his/her absence, has major delegated responsibility for the management of internal affairs and supervision of the division directors. The offices of fiscal management, personnel and training, public information and health promotion report to the director and deputy director. In addition to the director’s office, the department is organized into four (4) divisions. (3) The Division of Environmental Health and Epidemiology Services is responsible for environmental epidemiology which includes the investigation and prevention of diseases related to the environment or workplace; community sanitation which includes food, drug and cosmetic protection and general sanitation and radiological health which includes surveillance of radiation-producing devices, materials and sources. The division administers programs for the prevention and control of communicable and sexually-transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, nosocomial infections, cancer and zoonoses. The division is responsible for promoting the enforcement of the state school immunization law and implementation of other immunization programs. The state public health laboratory is assigned to this division. It supports public health programs by providing testing services in the fields of chemistry, environmental bacteriology, microbiology, serology, virology and metabolic diseases. (4) The Division of Local Health and Institutional Services is responsible for the supervision of the department’s district offices which provide direct public health services through programs such as the crippled children’s service, communicable disease control and environmental health. The division’s central and district offices provide nursing and other professional program consultation and assistance to city and county public health units which deliver the department’s health services to the public through contractual agreements. This division works closely with the other divisions in the implementation of programs at the district and local levels. Other statewide responsibilities include promoting primary care services, staffing the medical student loan program, physician recruitment and placement, rural and urban health initiative programs and technical consultation to communities in developing health services. The Missouri Re-habilitation Center in Mt. Vernon is assigned to this division. It was formerly the State Chest Hospital which cared for patients with lung diseases and the facility expanded its services to include long-term care of persons needing rehabilitation care when it became the rehabilitation center on September 28, 1985. The center provides rehabilitation services for respiratory, cardiac, head injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and other long-term physical impairments. (5) The Division of Health Resources includes the State Center for Health Statistics which is responsible for the collection and analysis of health-related information to promote a better understanding of health problems and needs in Missouri, as well as spotlighting improvements and progress achieved in the general health status of Missourians. Data generated by the center aid in the planning, development and evaluation of programs and services of the Department of Health as well as health-related activities of other agencies and institutions. The center is also responsible for the registration of all births and deaths in Missouri, issuing copies of birth and death certificates and maintaining records of marriages and marriage dissolutions. The division administers statewide programs of licensing and certification of hospitals, home health agencies, independent laboratories and other health care facilities; implements the Missouri Ambulance Licensure Law (chapter 190, RSMo), including inspection and licensure of ambulances and testing and licensure of all ambulance attendants in the state; and administers programs for the registration and surveillance of firms and individuals who manufacture, distribute, prescribe, dispense or handle controlled substances. The division also includes the State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA) which administers the Certificate of Need program and works with the Missouri Health Coordinating Council in developing the state health plan. (6) The Division of Personal Health Services is responsible for administering maternal and child health services including prenatal care; family planning; high-risk infant follow-up; prevention of mental retardation; child health conferences; early periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment (EPSDT); Special Supplemental Foods for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); and Missouri Crippled Children’s Service. The division is also responsible for dental health programs including promotion of fluoridation of public water supplies, provision of dental treatment to selected groups such as handicapped children, and dissemination of dental health information. The division administers programs for the prevention and control of chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, genetic diseases, cystic fibrosis and arthritis. (7) The State Cancer Commission is appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. The director of the Department of Health serves on the commission as an ex officio member. The State Cancer Commission serves as the board of directors of the State Cancer Center and appoints the director for the center, who is responsible for its operation. (8) The public may obtain information or make submissions or requests to the director of the Department of Health, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102, (314) 751-4330. AUTHORITY: sections 192.005.2. and 536.023, RSMo 1986.* This rule was previously filed as 13 CSR 50-1.010. Original rule filed Sept. 27, 1976, effective Jan. 13, 1977. Readopted: Filed Oct. 3, 1986, effective Dec. 26, 1986. *Original authority: 192.005, RSMo 1985 and 536.023, RSMo 1975, amended 1976.