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News Release

HHS MARKS 50^th ANNIVERSARY

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today joined employees in marking the Department's 50th anniversary, a half century during which HHS provided health care to generations of families, took the lead in scientific discoveries that brought the miracles of modern science to every corner of the globe, and strengthened and improved the services and protections provided to all Americans.

Created in April 1953 under President Eisenhower, the former Department of Health, Education and Welfare gave Cabinet status to the health and social agencies which had first been brought together as the Federal Security Agency in 1939. HEW became the Department of Health and Human Services in May 1980.

From its initial 1953 budget of $7 billion (which included Social Security and education programs), the Department has grown to a half-trillion dollars in annual spending, almost a quarter of all federal outlays. Even with the creation of a separate Department of Education in 1980 and establishment of the Social Security Administration as an independent agency in 1995, HHS is today the largest Cabinet Department in terms of budget and number of programs.

HHS administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined. Its Medicare program is the nation's largest health insurer, providing coverage to more than 40 million Americans and handling more than 900 million claims per year. Its Food and Drug Administration regulates products that represent 25 cents of every dollar in U.S. consumer spending. And its Administration on Aging has provided almost 6 billion meals to at-risk older Americans since the inception of its nutrition programs.

"For 50 years, the dedicated professionals in our department have helped Americans lead healthy and productive lives," Secretary Thompson said. "But we also know the potential for further improvement in our nation's health, welfare and security. That's why we must, and will, continue to lead in the medical sciences, in public health and in strengthening and improving America's health and safety net programs. That is our mission, and we are ready and able to achieve it on behalf of all Americans."

During the celebration in HHS headquarters, the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Secretary Thompson recognized the longest-serving employees from each of the Department's operating divisions. In addition, former HEW and HHS secretaries spoke by videotape.

The HHS budget for FY 2003 is $502 billion in outlays, and its 65,500 employees are located throughout the United States and around the world. The Department today includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities, administered by its operating divisions:

National Institutes of Health -- The world's premier medical research organization, supporting some 35,000 research projects nationwide. NIH includes 23 separate health institutes and centers and the National Library of Medicine. Established: 1887, as the Hygienic Laboratory, Staten Island, N.Y.

Food and Drug Administration -- FDA assures the safety of foods and cosmetics, and the safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals, biological products and medical devices. Established: 1906, when the Pure Foods and Drug Act gave regulatory authority to the Bureau of Chemistry.

Indian Health Service -- The IHS administers 37 hospitals and 60 health centers, providing services to 1.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives of more than 560 federally recognized tribes. Established: 1924 (mission transferred from the Interior Department in 1955).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- Working with states and other partners, CDC provides a system of health surveillance to monitor and prevent disease outbreaks (including bioterrorism), implement disease prevention strategies, and maintain national health statistics. Includes personnel stationed in more than 25 foreign countries. (The CDC director is also administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.) Established: 1946, as the Communicable Disease Center.

Administration on Aging -- AoA supports a nationwide aging network, providing services to the elderly, especially to enable them to remain independent. Supports some 240 million meals for the elderly each year, including home-delivered meals. Established: 1965.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services -- CMS administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which provide health care to about one in every four Americans. Medicare provides health insurance for more than 40 million elderly and disabled Americans. Medicaid, a joint federal-state program, provides health and long-term care coverage for some 44 million low-income persons, including 19 million children. CMS also administers the State Children's Health Insurance Program that covers more than 4.2 million children. Established as the Health Care Financing Administration: 1977.

Health Resources and Services Administration -- HRSA provides essential health care services for medically underserved people and communities, including more than 3,400 health center sites serving more than 11.5 million people nationwide. The agency also maintains the National Health Service Corps, serves people living with HIV/AIDS through the Ryan White CARE Act programs and supports state and local bioterrorism preparedness efforts. Established: 1982.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration -- SAMHSA works to improve the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services. Established: 1992. (A predecessor agency, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration, was established in 1974.)

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality -- AHRQ supports cross-cutting research on health care systems, health care quality and cost issues, and effectiveness of medical treatments. Established: 1989, as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.

Administration for Children and Families -- ACF is responsible for some 60 programs which provide services and assistance to needy children and families, including: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, providing assistance to an estimated 5 million persons, including 4 million children; the national child support enforcement system; and the Head Start program. Established: 1991, bringing together several already-existing programs.

In addition, the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is a uniformed service of more than 6,000 health professionals who serve in many HHS and other federal agencies. The Surgeon General is head of the Commissioned Corps.

Also included in the Department is the Office of Public Health and Science, the Office of the HHS Inspector General and the HHS Office for Civil Rights. In addition, the Program Support Center, a self-supporting division of the Department, provides administrative services for HHS and other federal agencies.

"This is truly the department of compassion, and our employees are answering every day to the needs of each American," Secretary Thompson said. "The responsibilities of this Department have always had a special importance for the average citizen, and today our challenges and opportunities are greater than ever."

Some highlights of HHS history include:

1798: The first Marine Hospital, a forerunner of today's Public Health Service, was established to care for seafarers

1862: President Lincoln appointed a chemist, Charles M. Wetherill, to serve in the new Department of Agriculture. This was the beginning of the Bureau of Chemistry, forerunner to the Food and Drug Administration.

1887: The federal government opened a one-room laboratory on Staten Island for research on disease, thereby planting the seed that was to grow into the National Institutes of Health.

1906: Congress passed the first Food and Drug Act, authorizing the government to monitor the purity of foods and the safety of medicines, now a responsibility of the FDA.

1912: President Theodore Roosevelt's first White House Conference urged creation of the Children's Bureau to combat exploitation of children.

1924: The Bureau of Indian Affairs Health Division was created, the forerunner to the Indian Health Service.

1935: Passage of the Social Security Act.

1938: Passage of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

1939: The Federal Security Agency was created, bringing together related federal activities in the fields of health, education and social insurance.

1946: The Communicable Disease Center was established, forerunner of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1955: Licensing of the Salk polio vaccine. The Indian Health Service was transferred to HHS from the Department of Interior.

1961: First White House Conference on Aging.

1962: Passage of the Migrant Health Act, providing support for clinics serving agricultural workers.

1964: Release of the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health.

1965: Creation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, making comprehensive health care available to millions of Americans. Also in 1965, the Older Americans Act created the nutritional and social programs administered by HHS' Administration on Aging, and the Head Start program was created.

1966: International Smallpox Eradication program established -- led by the U.S. Public Health Service. Also in 1966, the Community Health Center and Migrant Health Center programs were launched.

1970: Creation of the National Health Service Corps.

1971: National Cancer Act signed into law.

1975: Child Support Enforcement program established.

1977: Creation of the Health Care Financing Administration to manage Medicare and Medicaid separately from the Social Security Administration.

1980: Federal funding provided to states for foster care and adoption assistance.

1981: Identification of AIDS. In 1984, the HIV virus was identified by PHS and French Scientists. 1985, a blood test to detect HIV was licensed.

1984: National Organ Transplantation Act signed into law.

1988: Creation of the JOBS program and federal support for child care. Passage of the McKinney Act to provide health care to the homeless.

1989: Creation of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (now AHRQ.)

1990: Human Genome Project established. Passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. Also, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency (CARE) Act begins providing support for people with AIDS.

1995: The Social Security Administration became an independent agency.

1996: Enactment of welfare reform under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

1997: Creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, allowing states to extend health coverage to millions of uninsured children by expanding their current Medicaid programs or by creating new health insurance plans.

2000: Human genome sequencing is published.

2001: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is created, replacing the Health Care Financing Administration.

2002: Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness is created to coordinate efforts against bioterrorism and other emergency health threats.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: April 30, 2003