About THD
With its rich history, beautiful surroundings and friendly faces, Tulsa County is a great place to call home. Community spirit runs deep here, and our residents take pride in taking care of each other. The same spirit to care and protect is found at the Tulsa Health Department, where we put the needs of the community first.
Since its establishment in 1950, THD serves as the primary public health agency to more than 600,000 Tulsa County residents, including 13 municipalities and four unincorporated areas. The agency is one of two autonomous local health departments in Oklahoma, with statutory public health jurisdiction throughout Tulsa County and the City of Tulsa. Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of all Tulsa County residents, in order to make Tulsa County the healthiest county in the country.
The Tulsa Health Department takes great pride in a workforce that consistently responds to the public health challenges and emerging health issues that face our diverse and growing community. Our mission is possible thanks to the great work of amazing community partners, Board of Health and City/County agencies. Together with our partners, the Department actively monitors and responds to the personal, clinical and environmental health needs of Tulsa County and its residents.
THD is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment, freeing residents from having to worry about the basics of city living to pursue opportunities that improve their lives and futures. In public health, this includes supporting healthy lifestyles and disease prevention strategies; ensuring appropriate access to health care; addressing disparities in health outcomes; and minimizing exposure to environmental hazards.
Attention to substance use disorders, violence prevention and social determinants of health are also part of how we measure success in reaching community health goals. THD staff understand the public health needs of our community and they find innovative and efficient methods to achieve successful results. We are also fortunate to be a part of a community where the Mayor, the Tulsa City Council and the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners expect and support the best possible health conditions and outcomes for our residents
COVID-19 has dominated much of our attention this fiscal year. THD was the first line of response when the outbreak began, working to control the spread of the virus across the county putting into action our emergency operations and response plans. These activities included, among other things, developing mechanisms to track and report data on the virus - with the outbreak rapidly evolving, we worked to set up data dashboards on our websites to display the latest data on cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
While we did not have a unified national strategy to respond to this novel virus, THD emergency response teams worked diligently in conjunction with many community partners to implement federal guidance and communicate threats to the public and partners to keep Tulsa County communities safe. THD staff will continue working with a diverse group of medical experts, businesses, schools, elected officials and first responders to proactively take all the necessary steps to prevent individuals’ risk of exposure and infection. I'm pleased to help lead a community and a department of dedicated employees who truly cares about public health. This department is committed and invested to the public's health and to helping every individual in Tulsa County reach their greatest potential. Thank you to our Board of Health for your support! We are truly a team in Tulsa County!
— Dr. Bruce Dart, Executive Director
