Virginia. State Board of Health

The Medical Society of Virginia, formed in 1870, sponsored a bill to create a State Board of Health and Vital Statistics to supervise sanitation matters and to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. This bill was enacted into law by the General Assembly on February 13, 1872, but no funding was provided the Board, which functioned intermittently until 1896. The General Assembly passed an act on March 3, 1896, establishing and funding the Board of Health. An act passed on March 7, 1900, created local boards of health in every country and city and gave the State Board authority over them.

The position of Commissioner of Health was established as the executive officer of the Board of Health by an act of the General Assembly passed on March 14, 1908. The State Government Reorganization Act passed by the General Assembly on April 18, 1927, created the Department of Health under the aegis of the State Board of Health. The Department serves as the administrative arm of the Board of Health under the supervision of the State Health Commissioner and is responsible to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources.

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