Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

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The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) had its humble beginnings with the creation of the Marine Hospital Fund, which later was reorganized in 1871 as the Marine Hospital Service. The Marine Hospital Service was charged with the care and maintenance of merchant sailors, but as the country grew, so did the ever expanding mission of the service. The Marine Hospital Service soon began taking on new expanding health roles that included such health initiatives that protected the commerce and health of America. One such role was Quarantine.

Dr. John Maynard Woodworth, a famous surgeon of the Union Army, who fought under General Sherman was appointed in 1871 as the Supervising Surgeon. Dr. Woodworth's title was later changed to "Supervising Surgeon General," which later became the Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Woodworth is credited with the formal creation of the Commissioned Corps as one of the uniformed services of the United States. Dr. Woodworth organized the Marine Hospital Service medical personnel along Army military structure to facilitate a mobile force of health professionals that could be moved for the needs of the service and country. He also established appointment standards and designed the Marine Hospital Service herald of a fouled anchor and caducus. In 1889, Grover Cleveland signed an Act into law that formally establishes the modern Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Today, the PHSCC is under the United States Public Health Service (PHS), the main division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is led by the Surgeon General of the United States. The Commissioned Corps is one of the seven Uniformed Services. The Surgeon General is commissioned as a three-star Vice Admiral with the paygrade of O-9. The Surgeon General reports directly to the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) who is the head of the PHS. The ASH is commissioned as a four-star Admiral in the Corps with a paygrade of O-10 [1].

Corps Officers wear the same uniforms as the United States Navy with special corps insignia and hold ranks equivalent to those of Naval officers. Corps officers receive direct commissions into the service, which is similar to other Uniformed Services of the United States that induct officers into Direct Commission Officers (DCOs) programs.
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The stated mission of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service is Protecting, promoting, and advancing the health and safety of the Nation.

The uniformed services component of the PHS (then the Marine Hospital Service) was formalized by legislation in 1889, which established the Commissioned Corps under the Supervising Surgeon (later Surgeon General). At first open only to physicians, over the course of the twentieth century, the Corps expanded to include dentists, environmental engineers, pharmacists, nurses, environmental health specialists, scientists, and other health professionals.

The agencies and programs of the PHSCC are designed to:

  • Help provide healthcare and related services to medically underserved populations: to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and to other population groups with special needs;
  • Prevent and control disease, identify health hazards in the environment and help correct them, and promote healthy lifestyles for the nation's citizens;
  • Improve the nation's mental health;
  • Ensure that drugs and medical devices are safe and effective, food is safe and wholesome, cosmetics are harmless, and that electronic products do not expose users to dangerous amounts of radiation;
  • Conduct and support biomedical, behavioral, and health services research and communicate research results to health professionals and the public; and
  • Work with other nations and international agencies on global health problems and their solutions.

In addition, the Corps provides officers (Medical Officers, Dental Officers, Therapists, Environmental Health Officers, etc.) to United States Coast Guard. In this capacity, Commissioned Corps Officers wear Coast Guard uniforms (with destinctive PHS Corps Devices) and work alongside Coast Guard enlisted personnel and officers.

Corps officers may also be detailed to other federal agencies. Details may include the Department of the Defense, TriCare, Department of Justice (BOP), State Department, Homeland Security (excluding USCG), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Institutes of Health, Indian Health Service, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some officers have also recently been assigned to the Middle East in various capacities.

The Commissioned Corps is led by the Surgeon General and consists of approximately 6,000 officers in the following professional categories:

Note that Chiropractors are not included, although their inclusion is under discussion.

The Commissioned Corps has played a prominent role in disease prevention and disaster response in recent years. Whether helping to identify and isolate the Hanta Virus in the southwestern United States, providing clinical services to Haitian or Kosovo refugees, or caring for the victims and assisting with relief efforts in notable natural and man-made disasters, the PHS has been a presence in the realm of public health and safety.

In 1989, Corps officers helped victims of Hurricane Hugo and the Loma Prieta, California, earthquake. During the 1990s, when floods ravaged areas of the United States, the PHS was there to provide medical care and support. Officers were deployed to Alaska and virtually every corner of the country devastated by floods. In 1994, Corps officers were involved in the recovery effort of the Northridge, California earthquake. A year later, the care and attention of the Corps focused on Oklahoma City after the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building.

Since the turn of the century, the PHS has become even more visible while leading recovery efforts. More than 1,000 Corps officers were deployed to New York City after attacks on September 11, 2001, to aid victims and provide medical and mental health services to responders and rescue workers. In 2005, in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, over 1,000 PHS officers deployed to set up field hospitals and render aid and assistance to evacuees and responders. Corps officers then shifted their focus to assisting local and state health officials with planning for long-term public health needs.


External links

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