Health and Human Services essays

Health and Human Services essays The Department of Health and Human Services is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The Department includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities. Some of these programs include: Medical and social science research Preventing outbreak of infectious disease, including immunization services Assuring food and drug safety Medicare (health insurance for elderly and disabled Americans) and Financial assistance for low-income families Improving maternal and infant health Head Start (pre-school education and services) Preventing child abuse and domestic violence Substance abuse treatment and prevention Services for older Americans, including home-delivered meals Comprehensive health services delivery for American Indians and Alaska Natives HHS is the largest grant making agency in the federal government, providing some 60,000 grants per year. HHS' Medicare program is the nation's largest health insurer, handling more than 900 million claims per year. HHS also works closely with state, local and tribal governments, and many HHS-funded services are provided at the local level by state, county or tribal agencies, or through private sector grantees. The Department's programs are administered by 11 HHS operating divisions. In addition to the services they deliver, the HHS programs provide for equitable treatment of beneficiaries nationwide, and they enable the collection of national health and other data. The Secretary of HHS under President Clinton was Donna E. Shalala. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and educated at Western College. After graduating in 1962, she served two years i ...