Federal Occupational Health (FOH) is a non-appropriated agency currently within the Program Support Center of the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...

. It is the largest provider of

occupational health Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work (i.e., while performing duties required by one's occupation). OSH is re ...

services in the U.S. federal government, providing services exclusively to federal agencies. FOH was previously part of the U.S. Public Health Service from its formation in 1946 until 2001.

Activities

FOH is the largest provider of

services in the U.S. federal government, serving more than 360 federal agencies and reaching 1.8 million federal employees. FOH provides services exclusively to federal agencies including the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

. It works in partnership with federal organizations nationally and internationally to design and deliver comprehensive occupational health solutions exclusively to federal employees. It has 300 health centers throughout the U.S. and a network of over 700 private- provider physicians and nurses through which it provides clinical services, including

emergency response Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety, security, and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while oth ...

, physical exams,

immunization Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the antigen, immunogen). When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ' ...

s, vision and health screenings, and health risk appraisals. It also maintains more than 200 counseling offices in federal buildings as well as a network of affiliate counselors in approximately 1,000 locations across the country.

History

Federal Occupational Health's earliest predecessor was created in 1946. The Federal Employee Health Division was established in 1947 within the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Bureau of Medical Services. It was absorbed by the Division of Hospitals in 1949, but was split out again in 1966 as the Federal Employee Health Program. After the PHS reorganizations of 1966–1973, it was placed in a different Bureau of Medical Services within the Health Services Administration. In 1982, a high-level merger of agencies placed the Division of Federal Employee Occupational Health within the Bureau of Community Health Services in the

Health Resources and Services Administration The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland. It is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care service ...

(HRSA). As of 1985, it was called the Division of Federal Occupational Health and Beneficiary Health Services. By 1997, the division had been renamed the Division of Federal Occupational Health. In 2001, Federal Occupational Health was transferred out of HRSA and PHS into the Program Support Center, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1946 establishments in the United States Occupational safety and health organizations Agencies of the United States Public Health Service