Health Authorities in Texas
Current Statute
HSC Chapter 121, Subchapter B, Section(s) 121.021-121.025 - Health Authorities
Chapter 81 - Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Act
General Information
Established during the 79th Legislative session, Health Authorities (HA) serve as a critical part of the state’s public health system. Health and Safety Code establishes and defines a Health Authority in Texas as a physician appointed under the provisions of Chapter 121, to administer state and local laws relating to public health within an appointing body’s jurisdiction. Health Authorities are considered an officer of the state when performing duties to implement and enforce laws that protect the public’s health.
Duties
- Establishing, maintaining, and enforcing jurisdictional quarantine orders.
- Aiding local boards of health, and local health departments in quarantine inspections, disease prevention, and suppression efforts, birth, and death statistics, and general sanitation issues within their jurisdiction.
- Reporting the presence of contagious, infectious, and dangerous epidemic diseases to local and state authorities.
- Aiding local jurisdictions and boards of health in carrying out public health-required rules, ordinances, sanitation laws, quarantine rules, and required reporting of any vital statistics collected.
Qualifications, Appointments, and Terms
A Health Authority must be:
- A competent physician with a reputable professional standing who is legally qualified to practice medicine in the state of Texas and
- A Texas resident.
Health Authority appointees must:
- Take and subscribe to the official oath; and
- Using the required forms, file the original copies of the Statement of Appointed Officer, Oath of Office, and Certificate of Appointment with their local jurisdiction, as well as submit copies of the originals to the appropriate Regional Medical Director/Public Health Region at the Department of State Health Services.
Health Authorities are appointed for two-year terms. In the event the acting Health Authority is absent or incapacitated, alternate Health Authorities can be appointed through the process noted above.
Regional and Local Health Operations
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- Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) - Public Health Region 1
- Oral Health Services - Public Health Regions 1 and 2
- Drugs and Medical Devices - Public Health Region 1
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) - Public Health Region 1
- Environmental Services - Public Health Region 1
- Health Facility Licensing and Compliance HFLC Zone 1 Office - Public Health Region 1
- Indigent Health Care - Public Health Region 1
- Manufactured Foods - Public Health Region 1
- Milk and Dairy Products - Public Health Region 1
- Meat Safety Assurance - Public Health Region 1
- Public Health Preparedness and Response - Public Health Region 1
- Community Health Improvement - Public Health Region 1
- Public Sanitation and Retail Food Safety - Public Health Region 1
- Radiation Control - Public Health Region 1
- STD and HIV Prevention - Public Health Region 1
- Epidemiology and Surveillance - Public Health Region 1
- Tuberculosis Elimination - Public Health Region 1
- Tobacco Prevention and Control Program - Public Health Region 1
- Community Health Worker - Public Health Region 1
- Clinical Laboratory Improvement (CLIA) - Public Health Region 1
- Public Health Region 1 Contacts
- Public Health Region 1 Local Health Department Information
- Public Health Region 1 Clinics
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- Public Health Region 2/3 Local Health Departments
- Public Health Region 2/3 Clinics
- About Public Health Region 2/3
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- Community Health Improvement Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Environmental and Consumer Inspections Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Epidemiology Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- HIV/STD Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Immunizations Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Public Health Improvement Strategies & Operations Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Public Health Nursing Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Specialized Health and Social Services Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Texas Health Steps Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Tuberculosis Elimination Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Zoonosis Control Program - Public Health Region 2/3
- Public Health Region 2/3 Contact Information
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- Children's Health Insurance (CHIP) - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Environmental and Consumer Health Protection - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Epidemiological Response Team Contacts - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Health Facility Compliance Division - Public Health Region 4/5N
- HIV-STD Program - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Immunization Division - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Public Health Nursing Program - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Social Work Services - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Tuberculosis Elimination Program - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Zoonosis Control - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Community Health Services - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Oral Health Services - Public Health Regions 3, 4, and 5N
- Tobacco Prevention and Control - Public Health Region 4/5N
- Public Health Region 4/5 North Local Health Departments
- Public Health Region 4/5 North Publications
- Public Health Region 4/5 North Clinic Locations
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- Community Health Services - Public Health Region 6/5 South
- Oral Health Services - Public Health Region 6/5 South and Region 7
- Environmental Health Services - Public Health Region 6/5 South
- HIV-STD Program - Public Health Region 6/5 South
- Immunization Program - Public Health Region 6/5 South
- Retail Food Safety Program - Public Health Region 6/5 South
- Specialized Health & Social Services - Public Health Region 6/5 South
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Tobacco Prevention and Control Program - Public Health Region 6/5 South Open submenu links Close submenu links
- Tuberculosis Elimination Program - Public Health Region 6/5 South
- Zoonosis Control - Public Health Region 6/5 South
- Texas Public Health Region 6/5 South Clinic Locations
- Texas Public Health Region 6/5 South Related Sites
- Texas Public Health Region 6/5 South Events
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- Specialized Health and Social Services - Public Health Region 7
- HIV-STD Program - Public Health Region 7
- Tobacco Prevention and Control - Public Health Region 7
- Epidemiology Program - Public Health Region 7
- Public Health Nursing - Public Health Region 7
- Regulatory Services Division - Public Health Region 7
- Rabies Information - Public Health Region 7
- West Nile Information - Public Health Region 7
- Tuberculosis Elimination Division - Public Health Region 7
- Vision and Hearing Services - Public Health Region 7
- Public Health Region 7 Field Office Locations
- Public Health Region 7 Local Health Departments
- Texas State Government Sites and Information
- Public Health Region 7 Resources
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- Public Health Region 8 Public Health Organizations Offering Mpox Vaccinations
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- Binational Esperanza y Amistad Tuberculosis Program - Public Health Region 8
- Office of Border Public Health - Public Health Region 8
- Community Health Improvement - Public Health Region 8
- HIV/STD Prevention - Public Health Region 8
- Immunization - Public Health Region 8
- Oral Health Services - Public Health Regions 8 and 11
- Preparedness and Response - Public Health Region 8
- Public Health Sanitation - Public Health Region 8
- Retail Food Safety - Public Health Region 8
- Specialized Health and Social Services - Public Health Region 8
- Texas Health Steps - Public Health Region 8
- Tobacco Prevention and Control - Public Health Region 8
- Tuberculosis Elimination - Public Health Region 8
- Zoonosis Control - Public Health Region 8
- Public Health Region 8 Field Office Locations
- Public Health Region 8 Local Health Departments
- Public Health Region 8 Local Health Authorities
- Public Health Region 8 Annual Reports
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- Public Health Region 9/10 Offering Mpox Vaccinations
- Public Health Region 9/10 Data and Reports
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- Epidemiology - Public Health Region 9/10
- HIV/STD - Public Health Region 9/10
- Immunization Program - Public Health Region 9/10
- Case Management for Children and Pregnant Women - Public Health Region 9/10
- Children With Special Health Care Needs - Public Health Region 9/10
- Preparedness and Response - Public Health Region 9/10
- Office of Border Public Health - Public Health Region 9/10
- Tuberculosis Elimination - Public Health Region 9/10
- Oral Health Services - Public Health Region 9/10
- Texas Health Steps - Public Health Region 9/10
- Zoonosis - Public Health Region 9/10
- Personal Care Services - Public Health Region 9/10
- Public Health Region 9/10 Local Health Departments
- Public Health Region 9/10 Regional County Map
- Public Health Region 9/10 Offices and Clinics
- Public Health Region 9/10 Events
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- Public Health Region 11 Local Health Departments
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- Birth Defects Monitoring Division - Public Health Region 11
- Office of Border Public Health - Public Health Region 11
- Specialized Health and Social Services - Public Health Region 11
- Epidemiological Response Team - Public Health Region 11
- Community Health Services - Public Health Region 11
- General Sanitation Program - Public Health Region 11
- Immunization Program - Public Health Region 11
- Manufactured Foods Program - Public Health Region 11
- Meat Safety Assurance Program - Public Health Region 11
- Preparedness and Response Program - Public Health Region 11
- Radiation Control Program - Public Health Region 11
- TB Bi-National Project - Public Health Region 11
- Texas Health Steps Program - Public Health Region 11
- Tobacco Prevention and Control - Public Health Region 11
- Toxic Substance Control Division - Public Health Region 11
- Vision, Hearing and Speech Services - Public Health Region 11
- Zoonosis Control - Public Health Region 11
- Retail Foods Safety - Public Health Region 11
- Tuberculosis Elimination Program - Public Health Region 11
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- Center for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (CHEPR)
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- Texas Local Public Health Organizations
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Public Health Improvement - Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant (PHHSBG) Open submenu links Close submenu links
- Contact Regional and Local Health Operations
Get in Touch
Get in Touch
Address
Regional and Local Health Operations
1100 West 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756
United States