Department of health
HRS §26-13
in effect26-13. Department of health
(a) The department of health shall be headed by a single executive to be known as the director of health.
The department shall administer programs
designed to protect, preserve, care for, and improve the physical and mental
health of the people of the State. Without limit to the generality of the
foregoing, the programs shall include the administration and enforcement of
matters and laws of public health of the State, including the state hospital,
but excluding assistance and care for the indigent and the medically indigent.
(b) The functions and authority heretofore
exercised by the board of health (excluding assistance and care for the
indigent and the medically indigent) and the department of institutions with
respect to the state hospital and the dental health treatment function of the
department of public instruction as heretofore constituted are transferred to
the department of health established by this chapter.
The governor shall define and differentiate
dental health treatment from dental health instruction and shall provide for
the gradual transfer of any personnel within the definition of dental health
treatment to the department of health. This section shall not be construed to
require the transfer from the department of education to the department of
health of any dental hygienist having a teacher's certificate and employed by
the department of public instruction immediately prior to November 25, 1959. [L
Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §19; Supp, §14A-18; HRS §26-13; am L 1974, c 252, §1; am L
1983, c 260, §1; am L 1995, c 189, §§1, 26; am L 1998, c 133, §5; am L 2019, c
210, §3]
Source: Hawaii State Legislature (capitol.hawaii.gov), via Internet Archive capturesURL: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0026/HRS_0026-0013.htmFetched: 11/10/2026