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The mission of the Department of Health is to protect, improve and promote the health, productivity and well-being of all New Yorkers. We achieve this by:

- Promoting the health of all New Yorkers designing and delivering strategies and initiatives to promote population health and prevention
- Ensuring access to high-quality, affordable health care
- Addressing the issues related to and delivering programs to reduce chronic diseases (cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, etc.)
- Promoting maternal, infant and child health
- Anti-tobacco initiatives; assuring a healthy environment (environmental programs and surveillance, water quality, lead, etc)
- Eliminating health disparities (ensuring NYs health care delivery system provides accessible, high-quality, affordable services to all New Yorkers across all populations.

The Offices of the Chief Medical Officers throughout the state fall under the purview of the DoH, as does EMT and paramedic training and licensing through the Bureau of EMS.


The Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) is responsible for investigating all deaths of persons in New York City occurring from criminal violence, by accident, by suicide, suddenly when in apparent health, suddenly when in apparent health, when unattended by a physician, in a correctional facility, or in any unusual or suspicious manner. OCME also reviews all applications for a permit to cremate the body of any person who dies in New York City. 

OCME serves as the mortuary for the City, with a legal mandate to take custody of all unidentified and unclaimed remains in the five boroughs. In addition, OCME operates the oldest post-mortem toxicology laboratory in the nation; the nation’s only public molecular genetics laboratory based in a medical examiner’s office; and the City's DNA laboratory, which is responsible for testing physical evidence from criminal cases in the five boroughs.



The Mission of the New York State Office of Mental Health is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a particular focus on providing hope and recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances.

OMH operates psychiatric centers across the State, and also regulates, certifies and oversees programs, which are operated by local governments and nonprofit agencies. These programs include various inpatient and outpatient programs, emergency, community support, residential and family care programs.



By working closely with other State, federal, local, and private agencies, the Division of Veterans' Services utilizes the expertise and resources of others to help Veterans and their families with specific needs, such as:

- Economic
- Employment
- Rehabilitation
- Medical treatment
- Home health care
- Education
- Tax exemption



The New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) in collaboration with individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, caregivers and policymakers provides capacity building by promoting policies, plans and best practices that:

- Affirm the dignity, value, respect, contribution and worth of all New Yorkers with developmental disabilities.
- Support the full participation of people with disabilities in society.
- Uphold equality and self-determination for all.
- Promote access to research and information needed for informed decision-making.
- Convene individuals with disabilities, family members, service providers and others to learn from each other to promote promising system changes.