Florida Department of Health
The Florida Department of Health is responsible for protecting the public health and safety of the residents and visitors of the state of Florida. It is a cabinet-level agency of the state government, headed by a state surgeon general who reports to the governor. The department has its headquarters in Tallahassee.[1]
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| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Preceding Department |
|
| Jurisdiction | Government of Florida |
| Headquarters | Tallahassee, Florida 30.39°N 84.23°W |
| Department executive | |
| Website | www |
History
During the 1996 legislative session, the beleaguered Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services was reconstructed as two entities: the Department of Health and the Florida Department of Children and Families.[2]
The Florida Department of Health operates county health departments in all 67 of the state's counties. The agency employs more than 17,000 persons. It has worked on two-year-old immunizations, tobacco control, and statewide preparedness response efforts.
The Florida Department of Health is responsible for public health, including: [3]
- Epidemiology
- Investigating foodborne illness and zoonotic and waterborne diseases
- Emergency preparedness and bioterrorism
- Controlling communicable disease
- Health promotion and education
- School health. The department manages the school health services program in cooperation with the Florida Department of Education. Funding comes from a variety of sources, including DOH and local school districts.[4]
- Women's health
- Public health dentistry and oral health
- Nutrition
- Vaccinations/preventable disease
- Eliminating health disparities
- Provision of vital records
- Environmental health
- Medical Quality Assurance
- Epilepsy
- Chronic disease
- Spinal cord injury prevention programs
COVID-19
On 15 February, 2023, the department published a safety alert from the State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo warning of “a novel increase” in adverse event reports related to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.[5] The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) subsequently published a public response to Ladapo and the department, offering rebuttals to his "misinterpretations and misinformation" related to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.[6]
On 10 May, 2023, Ladapo issued an open letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky accusing their agencies of withholding information regarding the true rate of adverse events associated with COVID-19 vaccines.[7]
References
- "Florida Department of Health Contacts." Florida Department of Health. Retrieved on October 26, 2010. "Administration 4052 Bald Cypress Way Tallahassee , FL."
- "Florida Department of Health - FDOH" United States Department of Health and Human Services website
- "Public health". Florida Department of Health. Archived from the original on 2007-11-05. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
- "School Nurses". Merritt Island, Florida: Space Coast Medicine and Healthy Living. March–April 2009. pp. 21–33.
- Communications Office (2023-02-15). "Health Alert on mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Safety". Florida Department of Health. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- Califf, Robert M.; Walensky, Rochelle P. (2023-03-10). "FDA and CDC Response to the Florida Surgeon General". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
- Ladapo, Joseph A. (2023-05-10). "Letter to Robert Califf and Rochelle Walensky" (PDF). Florida Department of Health. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.