Kansas State Board of Health

The Kansas State Board of Health was created in 1885. It consisted of nine physicians, each a graduate of a medical college who had at least seven years of continuous practice in his or her profession. The physicians were appointed by the governor from all parts of the state for three-year terms. In 1908, a non-medical member was added. In 1951, the board was abolished and re-established as the State Board of Health. This board consisted of ten members, all licensed in the state, from a variety of professional backgrounds. Five members practiced medicine, one practiced pharmacy, one practiced veterinary science, one a hospital administrator, and one a sanitary engineer. The governor appointed all members with the consent of the senate. The board elected one of its members as president, as well as choosing an executive secretary who was not a member of the board. A 1963 statute refers to the Kansas State Board of Health as a ten-member board, which governs the Department of Health. Prior to this time the Kansas State Board of Health was both board and agency. The use of the name Board of Health was abolished in 1974, when the Department of Health was renamed to the current Department of Health and Environment. [Wilder, Bessie E. Governmental Agencies of the State of Kansas, 1861-1956. Governmental research series, no. 4, rev. [Lawrence]: Governmental Research Center, University of Kansas, 1957.]