What jobs are available at the Department of Health and Human Services?
By Sam MacArthur

For public health professionals seeking careers, the Department of Health and Human Services is the first stop. The Department of Health and Human Services (typically referred to as the HHS) is a federal level domestic agency of the United States government that was created in the mid-1950s. Initially, the Department of Health and Human Services was named the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Health and Human Services agency’s current name iteration was revised in the late 1970s. The Department of Health and Human Services is overseen by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, a cabinet-level position that is appointed by the executive office of the federal government and confirmed by the United States senate.

What is Health and Human Services’ Mission?

The mission of the Department of Health and Human Services is to ensure the health, the safety, and the well-being of each American. To accomplish this lofty, humanitarian objective, the Department of Health and Human Services administers more than 300 programs through its eleven regional divisions located throughout the United States. Each regional office works alongside state and local agencies to ensure the programs reach those Americans in need.

The Department of Health and Human Services is the federal level agency that oversees many sub-agencies that are related to Health (NIH), to Disease Control (CDC), to Substance Abuse (SAMHSA), to service to elder Americans (Medicare) to Research, (AHRQ), and to Food Safety (FDA), among others. The Department of Health and Human Services was created to develop and execute federal programs designed specifically to improve the quality of life of all Americans — across their lifespans.

Part of the strength of the Department of Health and Human Services is its business model that encourages partnerships with other professionals from the related education fields, advocacy groups, the private sector, and the many research facilities with the talent to help discover new ways to improve each American’s life.

So, what is the Department of Health and Human Services? What is Health and Human Services’ defined mission? Great questions; read on to understand how the Department of Health and Human Services greatly impacts and influences each American and the country overall.

What Does the Department of Health and Human Services Do?

The many Department of Health and Human Services agencies that are located through the United States ensure the delivery and the execution of federal programs to provide wide-ranging solutions to the current health, safety, issues facing Americans of all ages. These Department of Health and Human Services agencies are funded as line items on the Department of Health and Human Services budget. The Department of Health and Human Services budget is set forth within the US federal budget.

The Department of Health and Human Services responsibilities include both the creation and the implementation of programs created to benefit the American public’s health and welfare, at the level of population and community health. These agencies within the HSS include — the maintenance of Public Health Emergency Funds, the FDA, the NIH, the CDC, Substance Abuse Management, the AHRQ, Medicare & Medicaid, and Children/Families. The Department of Health and Human Services responsibilities reach across socio-economic barriers and reach everyone, especially those who cannot care for themselves.

What does the Department of Health and Human Services do? It might be easier to state what the Department of Health and Human Services agencies don’t do! If it has to do with keeping Americans safe and healthy, the HHS is involved.

Department of Health and Human Services Jobs

Have you asked yourself — Are there any HHA jobs near me? Or, Are there jobs in Health and Human Services that would meet my public health career goals? Remember, though when you ask yourself — Are there any HHA jobs near me? — you must consider which agency within the Department of Health and Human Services jobs. There are HSS jobs and HSS careers can be found in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Indian Health Service (HIS), the Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); CDC jobs are in particularly high demand.

There are many Department of Health and Human Services jobs available within the HHS. These HSS jobs lead to rewarding HSS careers within the many government sub-agencies within the HSS. For those individuals seriously considering working for the HSS, its website offers a user-friendly search option that allows you to search for jobs in Health and Human Services by HSS jobs title, agency or simply by your HSS careers objective.

The HSS search option also allows you to search the Department of Health and Human Services jobs boards by location. The jobs in Health and Human Services search option presents all the vacant positions within the Department of Health and Human Services’ entire agency, based upon the keyword or location entered into their search system.

What are the Department of Health and Human Salary Potentials?

The Health Human Services salary varies depending upon one’s level of education. Those who are interested in various jobs in Health and Human Services and have earned a bachelor’s degree in public health, human services, social work, or a field related to the job in the Department of Health and Human Services of interest, can, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), anticipate their Health and Human Services salary to be:

  • Health and Human Services Salary — $99,730 per year
  • Human Services Salary Per Hour — $47.95

According to the statisticians at BLS, the managerial jobs working in the Medical and Health Services Industry are expected to grow at a 20% rate through 2026 — which is must faster than the average of all U.S. industries. The highest-paying jobs in public health can be much higher.

For those interested in how much the Health and Human Services salary is, with only a high school diploma or equivalent, can expect the following Human Services salary per hour — $16.22/ hours or $33,750 each year.

The BLS notes that the anticipated growth for the social and human service assistants’ industry to be about 16% through 2026 — which is faster than the average of all US industries. Clearly, given the strong anticipated growth, a career within the health and human services is looking like a great potential industry for rewarding careers.

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