The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the American Federal Government. It is tasked with protecting the health of the people in the United States. Prior to 1979, the HHS was also in charge of education. This was corrected in 1979 when the Department of Education was established by president Jimmy Carter.
The HHS is led by the secretary of health and human services, who is appointed by the US president with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. The current HHS secretary is Bobby Kennedy Jr, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2025.
The HHS is headquartered in the Hubert H. Humphrey Federal Building, which is located at 200 Independence Avenue SW in Washington, DC.