Vision
A healthy and sustainable Colorado where current and future generations thrive.
Mission
Advancing Colorado's healthy and protecting the places we live, learn, work, and play.
Summary
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is one of 16 cabinet-level departments whose executive directors are appointed by the governor. Jill Hunsaker Ryan serves as the department’s executive director. The department serves Coloradans by providing high-quality, cost effective public health and environmental protection services that promote healthy people in healthy places. Staff members focus on evidence-based best practices in the public health and environmental fields and play a critical role in educating people in Colorado so they can make informed choices. In addition to maintaining and enhancing our core programs, the department continues to identify and respond to emerging issues affecting Colorado's public and environmental health.
The Department pursues its mission through broad-based health and environmental protection programs and activities. These include population-based disease prevention strategies, control of disease outbreaks; provision of health statistics and vital records; health facilities licensure and certification; health and wellness promotion for both the general population and specific subpopulations such as children/adolescents, women, workers, and the aging; prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and HIV; suicide and injury prevention; laboratory and radiation services; and emergency preparedness. The Department's environmental responsibilities span a full array of activities including air and water quality protection and improvement, hazardous waste and solid waste management, pollution prevention and environmental leadership, and consumer protection.