The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) oversees 12 core public health offices as well as 10 regional health offices and 10 presidential and secretarial advisory committees. Offices under its purview include the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH), Office of Population Affairs (OPA), and Office of Minority Health (OMH).
Authorized by the Public Health Service Act, the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of adolescents through research, services, prevention, and health promotion activities, training, education, and partnership engagement, among others. OAH includes many resources and programs of potential interest to runaway and homeless youth stakeholders.
- The Adolescent Mental Health Fact Sheets provide state and national data on mental health issues facing youth.
- The Adolescents and Substance Abuse Fact Sheets provide state and national data on youth substance abuse.
- The Adolescent Reproductive Health Fact Sheets provide state and national data on youth reproductive health.
- A Day in the Life pictures the life of a high school teen, comparing time on a typical school day and time on a weekend day during the school year.
- Administered by OAH, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program is a national, evidence-based program that funds diverse organizations working to prevent teen pregnancy in the United States. OAH invests in the implementation of evidence-based TPP programs and provides funding to develop and evaluate new and innovative approaches to prevent teen pregnancy.
- Evidence-Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs at a Glance provides a brief overview of the program models on the HHS Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review website that are ready for implementation.
- General Advice on Evidence-Based Programs include lessons learned and advice related to implementation and cost implications of evidence-based programs from TPP grantees.
- The Pregnancy Assistance Fund program (PAF) is a $25 million competitive grant program that funds states and tribal entities so they can provide a seamless network of support services to pregnant and parenting teens, including mothers, fathers, and their families.
- PAF Successful Strategies details how PAF grantees are successfully implementing pregnancy assistance in their state.
- Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP) and Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) Resources provides training materials and resources for grantees and other organizations working to reduce teen pregnancy and STDs and support pregnant and parenting teens and their families.
The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) serves as the focal point to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health on a wide range of reproductive health topics, including family planning, adolescent pregnancy, sterilization, and other population issues.
- The Pregnancy Prevention page provides information on birth control methods, birth control pills, and natural family planning, among others.
The Office of Minority Health is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs to help eliminate health disparities.
- The Office of Minority Health Resource Center is a one-stop source for minority health literature, research, and referrals for consumers, community organizations, and health professionals.
- The Youth Empowerment Program II (YEP II) seeks to address unhealthy behaviors in minority males (10-18 years) at risk for violence and provide them opportunities to learn skills and gain experiences that contribute to more positive lifestyles and enhance their capacity to make healthier life choices.
- The Partnerships to Increase Coverage in Communities Initiative (PICCI) identifies and assists minority populations, educates them about the Health Insurance Marketplace, and assists them with enrollment in the Marketplace.