California Health and Human Services Agency


The California Health and Human Services Agency is the state agency tasked with administration and oversight of "state and federal programs for health care, social services, public assistance and rehabilitation" in the U.S. state of California. The agency is headed by the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, with headquarters in Sacramento. Many of the laws in the California [Health and Safety Code] are enforced by CHHS components.
On March 6, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom nominated Mark Ghaly to be Secretary of CHHS. The California State Senate unanimously confirmed Ghaly on June 17, 2019. Ghaly previously served as the director of health and social impact for Los Angeles County, deputy director of the Los Angeles County [Department of Health Services], and medical director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Southeast Health Center. Ghaly earned his doctorate of medicine degree from Harvard Medical School and a master of public health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
CHHS was created from a reorganization of other California agencies, including the California Health and Welfare Agency which included the California Department of Health Services.

Organization

The agency is divided into various departments and boards:
The agency was originally created in 1961 by Government Code section 12800 as the Human Relations Agency, and renamed to the Health and Welfare Agency in 1972 to and again to its current name in 1998.