Office of Commissioner

Public Health Services

Public Health Services maintains and improves the health of New Jersey’s citizens by promoting healthy lifestyles, preventing the spread of communicable diseases, improving environmental and workplace factors that impact people’s health, and ensuring the reliability of New Jersey’s health infrastructure and emergency response network.

 

Family Health Services

Nancy Scotto-Rosato
Assistant Commissioner
609-292-4043

The five operational units of Family Health Services (FHS) provide extensive public health programs and services to promote and protect health in New Jersey: Maternal & Child Health, Primary Care & Rural Health, Special Child Health & Early Intervention Services, WIC Nutrition Services and Community Health & Wellness.  FHS programs serve individuals and families (including those with special needs) targeting at-risk populations to reduce disparities in health outcomes by ensuring access to quality comprehensive care.

Funding from state and federal sources as well as private nonprofit foundations support family centered, culturally competent preventive and primary care services, population-based public health surveillance, public health screening and early detection of disorders and chronic diseases, enabling programs to support high risk or special needs populations.

Local Public Health

Shereen Semple
Director
609-292-6972

The Office of Local Public Health (OLPH) provides regulatory oversight, technical assistance, resources, guidance and communication to local health departments to ensure they have adequate capacity to deliver essential public health services to residents in New Jersey. The OLPH licenses public health professionals, including Health Officers and Registered Environmental Health Specialists, and collaborates on workforce development initiatives to ensure the success of New Jersey’s public health workforce. The OLPH also oversees the Child Lead Program (CLP), which provides grant funding and technical assistance to local health and regional partners to prevent childhood exposure to lead and provide environmental inspections and case management to families with lead-burdened children.

Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health

Christina Tan
Assistant Commissioner / State Epidemiologist
609-826-5967

The Division of Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health is committed to tracking reportable diseases/conditions and outbreaks, preventing disease and injury by reducing or eliminating exposures and hazards in the environment and the workplace, and informing the public. Program activities include an environmental health hazard assessment, continuous tracking and reporting of occupational and environmental public health issues, ensuring safe food and water, monitoring and preventing the spread of communicable diseases, and  tracking the incidence of cancer and drawing meaningful conclusions from cancer data.

Public Health Infrastructure, Laboratories & Emergency Preparedness

Dana Johnson
Assistant Commissioner
609-376-8737

Public Health Infrastructure, Laboratories and Emergency Preparedness (PHILEP) provides strategic and operational leadership to coordinate New Jersey’s hospital and public health disaster resilience, laboratory services and emergency preparedness and response. The Division oversees the Office of Disaster Resilience, Office of Emergency Medical Services and the Public Health and Environmental Laboratories. PHILEP also interacts with other governmental agencies on the federal, state, county and local levels, as well as in partnership with private and non-profit sector organizations to coordinate activities that prepare the state for a public health emergency.

HIV, STD, and TB Services

Greta Anschuetz
Assistant Commissioner
609-984-5874

HIV, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Tuberculosis Services focuses on preventing and reducing the spread of HIV, STDs and TB and ensure that HIV-, STD- and TB-infected people and those at risk of infection have access to the care they need.  The program uses its resources to help community-based facilities deliver high-quality, comprehensive services that meet the language and cultural needs of the people they serve.

Office of Women's Health

Vacant
Director
609-292-4446

The Office of Women’s Health (OWH) is charged with eradicating health disparities and fostering women’s equity and equality in healthcare and health outcomes. The office works closely with local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as private-sector partners, to oversee programs and services that:

• provide family planning and reproductive healthcare;
• provide science-backed sexual and reproductive health information and education; and

address the health implications of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and access to menstrual products.