Federal Occupational Health Turns 65
Now serving more than 1.8 million federal workers annually, FOH was created in August 1946 when President Truman signed an amendment to the Public Health Service Act.
Federal Occupational Health is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year by showcasing important milestones in its history, which began when President Harry Truman signed an amendment to the Public Health Service Act in August 1946. FOH is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides occupational health and wellness services to 1.8 million federal workers annually.
The agency has kept pace with occupational health advances from the advent of penicillin to the present day, writes its director, Gene Migliaccio, Dr. P.H. Two divisions were created later: Employee Assistance Programs and Environmental Health Services, which responded to Ground Zero in Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks.
FOH in 1984 was removed from the congressional appropriations process; it charges more than 360 fellow government agencies for the services it provides. The agency's mission is to improve federal workers' health and fitness, prevent workplace injuries and illness, decrease absenteeism, increase productivity, lower workers' compensation costs, and help agencies meet OSHA's regulatory requirements. FOH operates health and wellness centers in federal buildings nationwide.