HEALTH-RELATED GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

Answer

1. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

   The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is considered a governmental health agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). The purpose structure of the ATSDR is to control and minimize human health risks related to exposure to hazardous substances (Somers & Ulirsch, 2016). Generally, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry focuses on protecting societies from detrimental health effects associated with human-made and dangerous natural substances. The agency accomplishes this objective by reacting to environmental health crises, evaluating developing ecological health perils, administering analysis on the health influence of dangerous waste localities and raising capacities, and implementing actionable supervision to local and state associates (Somers & Ulirsch, 2016). This paper aims to review in-depth the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry by addressing its purpose, offices, leadership positions, and policies to regulate the agency.

   Organization of the ATSDR

   The ATSDR is often considered a sovereign operating agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. Studies indicate that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conduct different ATSDR’s administrative functions (Somers & Ulirsch, 2016). Moreover, researchers suggest that the CDC executive also acts as the ATSDR director. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is known to have a director's shared office with the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH). The administrator often manages the ATSDR. Studies indicate that the administrator is tasked with providing the agency's overall leadership and is appointed by the president. Furthermore, selecting the ATSDR's administrator does not necessitate the Senate’s approval (Somers & Ulirsch, 2016). The ASTDR's administrator has to appoint the ATSDR director accountable for overseeing its activities and programs. 

   The organizational arrangement of the ASTDR incorporates different offices. These include the office of communication, office for external environment emergencies, the office of financial, administrative and information services, the office of policy, planning, evaluation, and science (Somers & Ulirsch, 2016). The office of communication's role is to present a structure of approaches and principles for transmitting health risks information to different audiences. The communication office is intended for the ASTDR workforce and personnel from other government agencies and private institutions obliged to respond to concerns related to hazardous substances in the community. The office of communication works as the key advisor to the Assistant Administrator, director, and members on communication and marketing science research, practice, and community affairs (Perry et al., 2019). The communication office guarantees accurate, available, convenient, and practical interpretation of science for different individuals. Moreover, it oversees the identification and implementation of information dissemination channels. 

   The office for external environment emergencies is considered a response program to provide technical assistance during emergency hazardous substances in the community. Studies indicate that the office for external environment emergencies comprises physicians, toxicologists, among other scientists who are obliged to be available 24 hours of the day (Perry et al., 2019). The office of financial, administrative, and information services is often tasked with ensuring that appropriated funds are appropriately utilized. Researchers indicate that the office for financial, administrative, and information services provides funds and performance planning tools essential in expediting procedures, improving aligning design planning beyond the agency, restructuring project grouping variables, and improving the IT system administration. Moreover, this office oversees the implementation and administration of outlines by providing users the capability to modernize advancement against milestones, offer proof of accomplishment and outcomes, control spending and budget, distinguish risk and create mitigation strategies.

   The office of policy, planning, and evaluation under the ASTDR focuses on specifying the responsibilities of ATSDR. Studies indicate that this office's role is to coordinate, develop, recommend, and implement strategic planning and tracking for ATSDR (Perry et al., 2019). Furthermore, this office focuses on creating and coordinating performance management to guarantee to achieve objectives in ATSDR. Studies indicate that the office of policy, planning, and evaluation contributes to analyzing, correlating, and planning enactment, preparation documents, congressional statement, and other authoritative concerns.  Moreover, this office manages the alliance and coordinates with other governmental offices for schedule performance and planning. Studies indicate that this office helps develop the NCEH/ATSDR budget and program initiatives (Somers & Ulirsch, 2016). The office also offers connections with faculty offices and other members of the CDC. Lastly, the office of policy, planning, and evaluation coordinate the creation, evaluation, and consent of Federal statutes, register announcement Freedom of Information Act requests, and Inspector General Reports, among other relevant actions.

   The office of science guarantees acquiescence with different laws and procedures overseeing science by the national government. Researchers indicate that the office of science exhibits and advances the ATSDR Clearance Policy and clearing its documents. Moreover, this office manages and coordinates documents cross-clearance within ATSDR and different sections of the agency responsible for facilitating agency evaluations of external papers and succeeding information quality demands involving ATSDR records (Perry et al., 2019). Moreover, this office coordinates ATSDR's international health activities by preparing an annual inventory of ATSDR publications.

   Policy Areas

   The federal government is considered not to have a monopoly on policymaking under the ATSDR. Researchers indicate that essential policy decisions are frequently developed at both the state and healthcare field. Nevertheless, studies suggest that some policy alternatives are often voluntary, whereas others are considered mandatory (Yohannan, 2016). Some of the most essential and effective policies offer incentives to others to alter their characters. The power of persuasion is deemed vital to public officials, mostly at the federal level, which is limited in forcing individuals and states to implement specific procedures. This notion emerging from the 10^th Amendment of the US Constitution limits the executives and the congress to significant authority and reserves all other states' powers. However, the federal government members can utilize their enumerated source, including tax and spending, to persuade countries and others to act in desired approaches concerning the ATSDR.

   Developed Regulation

   The ATSDR has developed a regulation structure identified as the Division of Health Education. Studies indicate that this regulation approach is mandated to assemble, produce and distribute to the states, medical collages, physicians, and other healthcare staff, educational materials on medical surveillance, screening, and approaches of diagnosis and treatment associated with exposure to hazardous substances (Somers & Ulirsch, 2016). Furthermore, this regulation division offers education and training for primary care doctors to diagnose and treat diseases caused by hazardous substances. This regulation supports curriculum development and applied research in the arena of environmental health (Cusack, Dutton, Yang & Serio, 2020). The statute's impact is considered significant since many healthcare providers have gained essential information about preventing, diagnosing, and treating illnesses caused by hazardous substances in the environment.

   Conclusion

   The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is recognized as a governmental health agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.  The objective structure of the ASTDR is to minimize and manage health dangers associated with exposure to hazardous substances. This paper aimed to review the purpose of the ASTDR evaluates its offices, leadership positions, policies, and the organization structure of this agency.  Under the organizational arrangement, the ASTDR is described to incorporate different offices, including the office for external environment emergencies, the office of communication, the office of financial, administrative, information services, the office of policy, planning, and evaluation, and the office of science. All these offices share the same objective to oversee the possible dangers of hazardous substances that may harm human health.