This guide does not go into detail about how local and state health departments will function in a public health emergency because every state and locality does things differently. Although all public health departments share similar functions and a philosophy about serving the public, the federal government does not mandate how state and local health departments are structured. All states have a state health department, but the exact services that are offered and how they are administered vary greatly across the country. For example, in South Carolina, the state agency is centralized and the state provides services in each of the state’s 46 counties, whereas in Idaho, local public health.
