Who runs the Health Department and what it does

(a) The department of health shall be headed by a single executive to be known as the director of health. The department shall administer programs designed to protect, preserve, care for, and improve the physical and mental health of the people of the State. Without limit to the generality of the foregoing, the programs shall include the administration and enforcement of matters and laws of public health of the State, including the state hospital, but excluding assistance and care for the indigent and the medically indigent. (b) The functions and authority heretofore exercised by the board of health (excluding assistance and care for the indigent and the medically indigent) and the department of institutions with respect to the state hospital and the dental health treatment function of the department of public instruction as heretofore constituted are transferred to the department of health established by this chapter. The governor shall define and differentiate dental health treatment from dental health instruction and shall provide for the gradual transfer of any personnel within the definition of dental health treatment to the department of health. This section shall not be construed to require the transfer from the department of education to the department of health of any dental hygienist having a teacher's certificate and employed by the department of public instruction immediately prior to November 25, 1959. [L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §19; Supp, §14A-18; HRS §26-13; am L 1974, c 252, §1; am L 1983, c 260, §1; am L 1995, c 189, §§1, 26; am L 1998, c 133, §5; am L 2019, c 210, §3]