Washington, DC – 09 February: The sun lights up near the mark marking the headquarters of the headquarters of … [+]
Until this week’s confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To be secretary of the US Health and Human Department (HHS), health is in the shadows of other issues. Even with the latest news about HHS and other health agencies, HHS has not been in mind for most people. But with confirmation hearings this week, it is a good time to take into account the programs and functions that HHS and its secretary supervise.
As a member of the US cabinet, the HHS secretary serves as the President’s trusted adviser to the country’s health and well -being. These decisions and recommendations can have a broad impact, affecting countless aspects of American life.
For example, HHS helps provide health insurance for one in three Americans through Medicare and Medicaid. The Federal Administration of Drugs and other agencies help provide the country’s food supply, drugs and medical equipment. Among other advantages, the Center for Disease Control and Monitors of Prevention of Diseases and Funds work in communities across the country to make people healthier. National Institute of Health Funds Medical Research that requires healing for a wide range of diseases. Other parts of HHS offer essential as food for qualified elderly and hearing aids for low -income people. The department’s work affects young people and the elderly, healthy and ill, insured and uninsured.
In general, the department oversees 13 divisions with 10 regional offices that total employees more than 80,000 employees. And the HHS secretary is protective – coordinating games between federal, state and local authorities, and the establishment of policy that help address current health needs and future threats. The agency is the country’s largest manufacturer, with a significant amount of federal funding support programs at state and local level, including Medicaid costs, state blocking grants use for a variety of programs and emergency funds such as Infectious diseases, natural disasters, and opioid programs.
The impact of HHS goes beyond health, affecting education, work, housing and food through partnership with agencies Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HHHS’s work – and its leader – demonstrates how deeply interconnected are the factors that form the health of our nation, and how much they depend on the common responsibility and the common purpose.
Consider this: When Covid-19 struck, hospitals in some regions were quickly overloaded, leading to lack of resources elsewhere. Supply chain issues by manufacturers in one country make it difficult for rural clinics and urban hospitals across the country to obtain basic protective equipment for staff. We saw in the forefront how the health of a community can be accelerated throughout the country. A cough or sneezing in the northeast can quickly become a problem in the southwest.
A public health crisis, much like a hurricane or wild fire, is never just someone else’s problem. A suspected act of bioterrorism in Michigan would begin simultaneous conversations about supervision, readiness and content in other countries. An outbreak of measles or bird flu in Texas would raise alarms across the country.
Yes, Americans are independent people who make many of our decisions in terms of what is best for ourselves and our families, but our health is inseparable. HHS is one of the departments that ensures that those links are managed in ways that can all make us more confident and healthier.
Discussions about health financing, agency’s policy and leadership are not just political debates taking place in Washington. When a child receives routine vaccinations at a community clinic, or an elderly man in a rural area receives a meal delivered, HHS is behind the scenes, funding and coordinating these critical efforts. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that the decisions made by the administration, and especially HHS leaders, will have a direct impact on the life of every American throughout the country.
Science is not a sport – we have no winners and losers. Decisions made by HHS and many agencies that supervise will affect our collective health, our economic strength and our national security.