Department of Public Health

The essential functions of the Department are critical to the health and wellbeing of people and communities. CDPH's fundamental responsibilities are comprehensive in scope and include infectious disease control and prevention, food safety, environmental health, laboratory services, patient safety, emergency preparedness, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, family health, health equity and vital records and statistics.

CDPH's key activities and services include protecting people in California from the threat of preventable infectious diseases like Zika virus, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, and providing reliable and accurate public health laboratory services and information about health threats.

Other critical services include providing nutritional support to low-income women, infants and children, and screening newborns and pregnant women for genetic diseases. CDPH also works to ensure the safety of food and bottled water, helps reduce smoking and its impacts and works to prevent chronic diseases and conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, asthma and obesity.

The Department also protects patient safety in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, maintains birth and death certificates and prepares for, and responds to public health emergencies.

CDPH works continuously to reduce health and mental health disparities among vulnerable and underserved communities to achieve health equity throughout California.

Mission is to advance the health and well-being of California's diverse people and communities.