General Info

The Texas Department of State Health Services assesses the public health status, prevents epidemics and the spread of disease, protects against environmental hazards, guards against the occurrence of injury-causing situations and responds to disasters. The department assures the quality and accessibility of health services and provides family planning and pediatric care services. It administers the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which is a federal health, nutrition and prevention program for infants, pregnant women and children under the age of 5. The Texas Department of State Health Services additionally supports an arthritis program that works to reduce the burden of arthritis on individuals of Texas through secondary and tertiary prevention, including self-management programs and health communication strategies. This program also monitors the prevalence of arthritis among residents. The Texas Department of State Health Services operates a chronic disease prevention unit that provides information, education, resources and assistance for individuals to reduce the economic impact of poor health and incidence of premature death and disability. It maintains a location in San Antonio.