Florida Department of Health

Florida Department of Health
Department overview
Preceding Department
  • Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services
JurisdictionGovernment of Florida
HeadquartersTallahassee, Florida
30°23′N 84°14′W / 30.39°N 84.23°W / 30.39; -84.23
Department executive
Websitewww.flhealth.gov

The Florida Department of Health is responsible for protecting the public health and safety of the residents and visitors of the state of Florida. It is a cabinet-level agency of the state government, headed by a state surgeon general who reports to the governor. The department has its headquarters in Tallahassee.[1]

History

During the 1996 legislative session, the beleaguered Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services was reconstructed as two entities: the Department of Health and the Florida Department of Children and Families.[2]

The Florida Department of Health[3] operates county health departments in all 67 of the state's counties. The agency employs more than 17,000 persons. It has worked on two-year-old immunizations, tobacco control, and statewide preparedness response efforts.

The Florida Department of Health is responsible for public health, including: [4]

COVID-19

On 15 February 2023, the department published a safety alert from the State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo warning of “a novel increase” in adverse event reports related to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.[6] The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) subsequently published a public response to Ladapo and the department, offering rebuttals to his "misinterpretations and misinformation" related to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.[7]

On 10 May 2023, Ladapo issued an open letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky accusing their agencies of withholding information regarding the true rate of adverse events associated with COVID-19 vaccines.[8] Ladapo issued another letter on 6 December 2023, asking the FDA and CDC to address reports of "nucleic acid contaminants" discovered in samples of Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.[9] The FDA dismissed his concerns as "misleading" and stated that the agency stood firm in its regulatory decision making.[10] On 3 January 2024, Ladapo called for a statewide halt of the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Florida Department of Health Contacts." Florida Department of Health. Retrieved on October 26, 2010. "Administration 4052 Bald Cypress Way Tallahassee , FL."
  2. ^ "Florida Department of Health - FDOH" United States Department of Health and Human Services website
  3. ^ Bush, Janice (2024-01-05). "MyAccessFlorida – New Portal Apply Online | Florida DCF". MyAccessFlorida. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  4. ^ "Public health". Florida Department of Health. Archived from the original on 2007-11-05. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  5. ^ "School Nurses". Merritt Island, Florida: Space Coast Medicine and Healthy Living. March–April 2009. pp. 21–33.
  6. ^ Communications Office (2023-02-15). "Health Alert on mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Safety". Florida Department of Health. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  7. ^ Califf, Robert M.; Walensky, Rochelle P. (2023-03-10). "FDA and CDC Response to the Florida Surgeon General". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  8. ^ Ladapo, Joseph A. (2023-05-10). "Letter to Robert Califf and Rochelle Walensky" (PDF). Florida Department of Health. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  9. ^ Ladapo, Joseph A. (2023-12-06). "Request for Information on COVID-19 Vaccines" (PDF). Florida Department of Health. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  10. ^ Marks, Peter (2023-12-14). "Final Florida Surgeon General Response". Food and Drug Administration. Archived from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  11. ^ Farrell, James (2024-01-03). "Florida Surgeon General Calls For Halt In Covid MRNA Vaccines—Citing Debunked Concerns". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2024-01-07. Retrieved 2024-01-07.