The
United States Department of Health and Human Services (
HHS), also known as the
Health Department, is a
cabinet-level department of the
U.S. federal government with the goal of protecting the
health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its
motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America". Before the separate federal
Department of Education was created in 1979, it was called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).