United States Public Health Service 224130 215753684 2008-05-29T15:38:29Z 64.171.157.194 /* Uniforms of the United States Public Health Service */ {{Infobox Govt Agency | agency_name = United States Public Health Service | logo = phs.svg | logo_width = 140px | formed = [[1798]] | preceding1 = | preceding2 = | dissolved = | superseding = | jurisdiction = [[Federal government of the United States]] | headquarters = [[Washington, D.C.]] | employees = | budget = | chief1_name = [[Admiral (United States)|ADM]] [[Joxel García]] | chief1_position = Assistant Secretary for Health | parent_agency = [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|Department of Health and Human Services]] | child2_agency = [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]] | website = [http://www.usphs.gov www.usphs.gov] | footnotes = }} ==Organization of the Public Health Service== The [[Public Health Service Act]] placed the '''United States Public Health Service''' ('''PHS''') as the primary division of the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services]]. The PHS is comprised of all Agency Divisions of Health and Human Services and the Commissioned Corps. The [[United States Assistant Secretary for Health|Assistant Secretary for Health]] (ASH) oversees the PHS and the [[Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]].<ref>Organizational Chart of Health & Human Services, 2007</ref> <ref>http://www.hhs.gov/ash/</ref> Agencies within the Public Health Service * [[Administration for Children and Families]] (ACF) * [[Administration on Aging]] (AoA) * [[Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality]] (AHRQ) * [[Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry]] (ATSDR) * [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) * [[Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services]] (CMS) * [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) * [[Health Resources and Services Administration]] (HRSA) * [[Indian Health Service]] (IHS) * [[National Institutes of Health]] (NIH) * [[Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration]] (SAMHSA) ==Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service== :''See [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]]'' The [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS)]] employs more than 6,000 public health professionals for the purpose of delivering public health promotion and disease prevention programs and advancing public health science. Members of the Commissioned Corp often serve on the frontlines in the fight against disease and poor health conditions. As one of America's seven [[Uniformed services of the United States|uniformed services]], the PHS Commissioned Corps fills public health leadership and service roles within [[United States Government|federal government]] agencies and programs. The PHS Commissioned Corps includes officers drawn from many professions, including environmental and occupational health, medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, social work, hospital administration, health record administration, diet, engineering, science, veterinary, and other health-related occupations. == Mission == The mission of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of the United States. As the USA's uniformed service of public health professionals, the Commissioned Corps achieves its mission through: * Rapid and effective response to public health needs * Leadership and excellence in public health practices * Advancement of public health science == History == The origins of the Public Health Service can be traced to the passage of an act in [[1798]] that provided for the care and relief of sick and injured merchant seamen. The earliest marine hospitals created to care for the seamen were located along the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], with [[Boston]] being the site of the first such facility; later they were also established along inland waterways, the [[Great Lakes]], and the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and [[Pacific]] Coasts. A reorganization in [[1870]] converted the loose network of locally controlled hospitals into a centrally controlled [[Marine Hospital Service]], with its headquarters in [[Washington, D.C.]] The position of Supervising Surgeon (later [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeon General]]) was created to administer the Service, and [[John Maynard Woodworth]] was appointed as the first incumbent in [[1871]]. He moved quickly to reform the system and adopted a [[military]] model for his medical staff, instituting examinations for applicants and putting his [[physician]]s in uniforms. Woodworth created a cadre of mobile, career service physicians who could be assigned as needed to the various marine hospitals. The commissioned officer corps (now known as the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service or the [[Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]]) was established by legislation in [[1889]]. At first open only to [[physician]]s, over the course of the twentieth century, the Corps expanded to include [[dentist]]s, physician assistants, sanitary engineers, [[pharmacist]]s, [[nurse]]s, sanitarians, [[scientist]]s, and other [[health professional]]s. The scope of activities of the Marine Hospital Service also began to expand well beyond the care of merchant seamen in the closing decades of the [[nineteenth century]], beginning with the control of [[infectious disease]]. [[Quarantine]] was originally a state function rather than federal, but the [[National Quarantine Act]] of 1878 vested quarantine authority to the [[Marine Hospital Service]] and the failed National Board of Health. Over the next half a century, the Marine Hospital Service increasingly took over quarantine functions from state authorities. As [[immigration]] increased dramatically in the late nineteenth century, the Federal Government also took over the processing of [[immigrant]]s from the states, beginning in 1891. The Marine Hospital Service was assigned the responsibility for the medical inspection of arriving immigrants at sites such as [[Ellis Island]] in [[New York]]. Commissioned officers played a major role in fulfilling the Service's commitment to prevent disease from entering the country. Because of the broadening responsibilities of the Service, its name was changed in 1902 to the '''Public Health and Marine Hospital Service''', and again in 1912 to just the Public Health Service. The Service continued to expand its [[public health]] activities as the nation entered the twentieth century, with the Commissioned Corps leading the way. As the century progressed, PHS commissioned officers served their country by controlling the spread of contagious diseases such as [[smallpox]] and [[yellow fever]], conducting important biomedical research, regulating the [[food]] and [[approved drug|drug]] supply, providing health care to underserved groups, supplying medical assistance in the aftermath of disasters, and in numerous other ways. Today the mission of the Commissioned Corps of the PHS is "Protecting, promoting, and advancing the health and safety of the Nation." == Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male == In 1932, the Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of justifying treatment programs for blacks. It was called the "[[Tuskegee_Study_of_Untreated_Syphilis_in_the_Negro_Male|Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male]]." The study initially involved 600 black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease. The study was conducted without the benefit of patients' informed consent. Researchers told the men they were being treated for "bad blood," a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue. In truth, they did not receive the proper treatment needed to cure their illness. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance. Although originally projected to last 6 months, the study actually went on for 40 years. It has been called "arguably the most infamous biomedical research study in U.S. history." ==Uniforms of the United States Public Health Service== Officers of the [[Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]] wear uniforms similar to those of the [[United States Navy]] or, when serving with the United States Coast Guard, Coast Guard uniforms, but with unique and distinctive PHS Corps devices and use rank insignia identical to that of Naval officers. Two different sets of rank titles are used. Most commonly used are the standard Navy rank titles. Also used are the historical titles that identify the specialty of the officer in the title. An officer in the grade of O-5 / Commander is a "Senior Surgeon." An officer in the grade of O-3 / Lieutenant is "Senior Assistant". <ref name="USPHS-Sleeve-Lacing>[http://www.marlowwhite.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=96-200 USPHS Sleeve Lacing]</ref> The headquarters of the U.S. Public Health Service are located in Washington D.C., and Rockville, Maryland. ==Emergency response since 1999== Commissioned Corps emergency response teams are managed by the Office of the Surgeon General. They are trained and equipped to respond to public health crises and national emergencies, such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, or terrorist attacks. The teams are multidisciplinary and are capable of responding to domestic and international humanitarian missions. Officers have responded to many such emergencies in the past, including: 1999—hospital center at Fort Dix, NJ, for Kosovo refugees <br /> 2001—terrorist attacks <br /> 2001—anthrax attacks <br /> 2004/2005—tsunami and earthquake in Indonesia<br /> 2005—hurricanes Katrina and Rita <br /> 2006—earthquake in Hawaii <br /> 2006—medicine contamination in Panama ==External links== *[http://www.usphs.gov/ U.S. Public Health Service] *[http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ Office of the Surgeon General] *[http://lhncbc.nlm.nih.gov/apdb/phsHistory/ Office of the Public Health Service Historian] *[http://www.blitzkriegbaby.de/ PHS history and WWII women's uniforms in color] &mdash; WWII US women's service organizations (WAC, WAVES, ANC, NNC, USMCWR, PHS, SPARS, ARC and WASP) ''This article is based on the [[public domain]] text [http://www.usphs.gov/html/history.html History of the Commissioned Corps, PHS]'' ==See also== * [[Public Health Service Act]] [[Category:United States Public Health Service| ]] [[de:United States Public Health Service]] [[ja:アメリカ公衆衛生局]] == References == <references/> {{HHS agencies}}