New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

About the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Welcome to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. With an annual budget of $1.6 billion and more than 7,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, we are one of the largest public health agencies in the world. We are also the nation's oldest municipal public health agency, with over two centuries of leadership in the field. Every day, we protect and promote the health of more than 8 million New Yorkers by providing essential health services, promoting public health initiatives, preventing the spread of disease, and many other unseen efforts that keep our city safe and healthy. The work that we do is broad ranging. You see us in the inspection grades of dining establishments, the licenses dogs wear, the low- to no-cost health clinics in your neighborhood, and the birth certificates for our youngest New Yorkers. We are also behind the scenes with our disease detectives, investigating suspicious clusters of illness. Our epidemiologists study the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in New York City neighborhoods. These studies shape policy decisions and the City's health agenda. The challenges we face are many. They range from inequitable life expectancy to infectious disease, tobacco control, substance use, and the threat of climate change. The New York City Health Department is tackling these issues with innovative policies and programs, and getting exceptional results. We are also committed to addressing health inequities across communities, working to ensure equitable access to services and extending life expectancy for all New Yorkers. Our focus is on making sure every New Yorker, regardless of immigration status, ability to pay, or ability to speak English, has access to the health information and care they need to live and thrive. Our Commitment to Health Equity The NYC Health Department promotes and protects the health of all New Yorkers so everyone can lead healthy lives, regardless of who they are, where they are from, or where they live. We recognize that historic and contemporary injustices in government, health care, and other institutions have deepened distrust and contributed to individual and collective trauma, while exacerbating inequities across health conditions. We acknowledge that Black, Latino, Indigenous, and all people of color continue to experience and resist the daily impact and reality of years of disinvestment, racism, biased treatment, and oppression. We are committed to addressing structural racism and all forms of oppression, centering justice within our organization, and ensuring antiracist practices are embedded and operationalized throughout our agency. Through the implementation of community-centered public health solutions, we aim to eliminate health inequities and increase to its highest-ever level the life expectancy of all our city’s residents. In October 2021, the New York City Board of Health passed a resolution that declared racism as a public health crisis. Our History 2025 marks the 220th anniversary of the New York City Health Department. On January 17, 1805, the Common Council (the predecessor to today’s NYC Council) appointed a New York City Board of Health, which consisted of three state-appointed health commissioners. Another big moment came on February 26, 1866, when the New York State legislature passed a new public health law that created the Metropolitan Board of Health, the first municipal public health authority in the U.S. The new Board unified surrounding cities and encompassed Kings, Richmond, Westchester, part of Queens, and New York counties. Both of these milestones were born of efforts to combat infectious epidemics — yellow fever in the early 1800s and cholera in the mid-1800s. Our third major milestone occurred on April 5, 1870, when New York State passed legislation that created the Department of Health, which now granted the Mayor authority to appoint the Commissioner. The Health Department was separate from the new Board of Health, which would operate as its overseeing body.