DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
MENTAL HYGIENE

Charles R. Buck, Jr., Sc.D., Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene
Leonard E. Albert, Deputy Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene
John J. Kent, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Medical Care Programs
Theodore G. Lucas, Assistant Secretary for Special Programs
Stanley R. Platman, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Addictions
Benjamin D. White, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Secretary for Health

201 West Preston Street
Baltimore 21201 Telephone: 383-2600

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was established on July 1, 1969, in accordance with
the provisions of Chapter 77, Acts of 1969. The mission of the Department is to assure the people of
Maryland their inherent right to a healthful environment and a high level of physical, mental, and so-
cial health. Achievement of this goal will be through the development of a comprehensive, continuous,
and accessible system of health services for the State of Maryland, which emphasizes the promotion of
health and the prevention of disease and disability.

Many programs are by their nature public functions and could not be performed effectively
by the private sector. Prime among these is the responsibility for dealing with the epidemiologi-
cal dimensions of hazards to health affecting the community, such as environmental pollution
and communicable disease, and the organization of community efforts to prevent or control their
impact.

The Department provides or purchases direct care services primarily in the following areas: residen-
tial and outpatient care for the mentally ill, the mentally retarded, the chronically ill, including those
with tuberculosis, the impaired elderly, persons with addictive conditions, and court-referred youths. It
also provides several preventive medicine services directly. It further develops programs for the rehabil-
itation of troubled youth. "The Department also provides a comprehensive program of health care
services for the indigent and medically indigent,

The Department is organized on the basis of program similarities under four Assistant Secretaries to
provide effective service delivery. Under the Assistant Secretary for Medical Care Programs there are
three administrations—Policy, Operations, and Compliance—charged with the reimbursement of health
care services for the indigent and medically indigent. The Assistant Secretary for Special Programs is
responsible for the Juvenile Services and Mental Retardation Administrations. The Alcoholism Con-
trol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Hygiene Administrations are assigned to the Assistant Secretary for
Mental Health and Addictions. The Assistant Secretary for Health is responsible for the Environmen-
tal Health, Laboratories, Preventive Medicine, Aged and Chronically III, and Local Health
Administrations. In addition, the twenty-four local health departments report directly to the Assistant
Secretary for Health, but have access to all Departmental officials as well. The local health
departments are the focal point in the delivery of services.

All Department-wide services of a regulatory nature, such as Health Planning and Development,
Hearings and Regulations, Licensing and Certification, Health Services Cost Review, Community
Relations, and Title VI (non-discriminatory practices) are coordinated by the Director of Regulatory
Services. Various professional support services, available to all levels of organization, are administered
by the Director of Professional Resource Services. Regulatory Services and Professional Resource
Services are staff organizations of the Office of the Secretary. Other designated staff organizations in-
clude Legal Services, Government Relations, Special Services, Management Staff, and the Office of Ser-
vice Operations (Administration).