Department of Health and Human Services Region 3

Department of Health and Human Services Region 3
Agency name	Department of Health and Human Services Region 3

Contents

Department of Health and Human Services Region 3

The office coordinates federal public health activities and health policy implementation across a multi-state region, interfacing with agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Administration for Children and Families to align programs, grant-making, and emergency response. It operates within a framework shaped by statutes including the Social Security Act, the Affordable Care Act, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and partnerships with state executives, municipal authorities, tribal governments, and nongovernmental organizations like the American Red Cross, the United Way, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Overview

Region 3 serves as an intermediate office that implements initiatives from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, liaises with regional counterparts such as Region IV (EPA), Federal Emergency Management Agency Region III, Department of Education Region III, Department of Transportation Region 3, and supports federal programs including Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and behavioral health projects funded by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The Region interfaces with academic institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, George Washington University, and Rutgers University to coordinate research, workforce development, and clinical trials linked to National Institutes of Health priorities and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality projects.

Region 3 comprises multiple political subdivisions including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (U.S. state), the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, the District of Columbia, the State of Delaware, and the Commonwealth of West Virginia, each with their own executive offices, state health departments such as the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Virginia Department of Health, Maryland Department of Health, District of Columbia Department of Health, Delaware Division of Public Health, and West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, and collaborates with metropolitan entities like the City of Philadelphia, the City of Baltimore, the City of Richmond, the City of Wilmington (Delaware), and county governments across the region.

The Region's leadership includes a Regional Director who coordinates with HHS secretaries from administrations including those of Kathleen Sebelius, Eric Hargan, Tom Price (physician), Alex Azar, and Xavier Becerra, and works alongside offices such as the Office for Civil Rights, the Office of the Inspector General (United States Department of Health and Human Services), the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health to manage compliance, program integrity, and strategic initiatives. Functional divisions mirror federal agencies: a regional Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services team, a regional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention liaison office, a behavioral health unit interacting with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration programs, and grants management aligned with Administration for Community Living and Administration for Children and Families priorities.

Region 3 administers regional implementation of federal programs including enrollment outreach for Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, oversight of Medicare Part D prescription drug initiatives, management of grant portfolios such as Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funding, maternal and child health projects tied to the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, behavioral health grants coordinated with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and chronic disease prevention partnerships with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campaigns like the Million Hearts initiative and the Vaccine for Children Program. It also works with health systems including Johns Hopkins Hospital, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, George Washington University Hospital, and community health centers supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Regional budgets derive from appropriations enacted by the United States Congress through annual and supplemental spending bills, discretionary funding streams overseen by the Office of Management and Budget, and entitlement outlays such as Medicare Part A and Medicaid matched funding mechanisms, with grants administered under statutes including the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security Act, and emergency supplemental appropriations following declarations by the President of the United States and coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The region manages categorical grants, cooperative agreements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and formula grants linked to census data from the United States Census Bureau and demographic analyses from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Region 3 plays a central role in responses to public health emergencies by coordinating with Federal Emergency Management Agency Region III, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, state emergency operations centers in Pennsylvania (U.S. state), Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia Department of Health, and municipal partners such as the City of Baltimore Emergency Management and the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management for infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy, and mass casualty events, integrating surveillance systems like the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, laboratory networks including the Laboratory Response Network, and vaccination campaigns leveraging the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Historically, regional HHS offices adapted federal programs following landmark actions such as the passage of the Social Security Act, the establishment of the Medicare (United States) program, the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, and responses to crises including the 2009 swine flu pandemic and local emergencies from events like Hurricane Katrina which influenced regional preparedness planning; initiatives include regional opioid response collaboratives aligned with the Opioid Crisis Response efforts, maternal mortality reduction projects tied to March of Dimes partnerships, and substance use treatment expansions coordinated with SAMHSA grants and research collaborations with institutions such as Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and University of Maryland School of Medicine.