United States Assistant Secretary for Health

United States Assistant Secretary for Health

The United States Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active member in the regular corps, is the highest ranking uniformed officer in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC). The ASH oversees all matters pertaining to the Public Health Service (PHS), the main division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for the Secretary as well as provide strategic and policy direction for the PHSCC. The PHS is comprised of almost all the agency divisions of the HHS as well as the PHSCC, a uniformed service of more than 6,000 health professionals who serve at the HHS and other federal agencies. The ASH is nominated for appointment by the President and confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. The ASH serves a four year term of office at the pleasure of the President. If the appointee is a serving member of the regular corps, he or she is also appointed as a four-star admiral in the PHSCC [cite web |url= http://www.usphs.gov/AboutUs/uniforms.aspx |title= PHSCC Uniforms |accessdate= 2008-01-19] cite web |title= 42 USC 207. Grades, ranks, and titles of commissioned corps |url=http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscode42/usc_sec_42_00000207----000-.html |accessdate= 2008-01-19] . The President may also nominate a civilian appointee to be commissioned into the regular corps if the President so chooses [cite web |url=http://dcp.psc.gov/eccis/documents/CCPM23_3_7.pdf |title= Regular Corps Assimilation Program |accessdate= 2008-01-19] . As such the ASH is the "only" four-star admiral in the regular corps. The current Assistant Secretary for Health is Admiral Joxel García, USPHS.

History

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs was established on January 1 1967 following the Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1966. The plan allowed the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to restructure the Public Health Service to better serve public health. [http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/514.html#514.3] Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health [OASH] . ] The office was renamed to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health following the Department of Education Organization Act in 1972.

Assistant Secretary for Health

Notes

External links

* [http://www.hhs.gov/ash/ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH)]
* [http://www.hhs.gov/ophs/assistantsecretaryhealth/index.html Biography of Admiral Joxel García, USPHS]


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