§ 42-7.2-2 - Executive office of health and human services.
SECTION 42-7.2-2
§ 42-7.2-2 Executive office of health andhuman services. – There is hereby established within the executive branch of state government anexecutive office of health and human services to serve as the principal agencyof the executive branch of state government for managing the departments ofchildren, youth and families, elderly affairs, health, human services, andmental health, retardation and hospitals. In this capacity, the office shall:
(a) Lead the state's five health and human servicesdepartments in order to:
(1) Improve the economy, efficiency, coordination, andquality of health and human services policy and planning, budgeting andfinancing.
(2) Design strategies and implement best practices thatfoster service access, consumer safety and positive outcomes.
(3) Maximize and leverage funds from all available public andprivate sources, including federal financial participation, grants and awards.
(4) Increase public confidence by conducting independentreviews of health and human services issues in order to promote accountabilityand coordination across departments.
(5) Ensure that state health and human services policies andprograms are responsive to changing consumer needs and to the network ofcommunity providers that deliver assistive services and supports on theirbehalf.
(b) Supervise the administrations of federal and statemedical assistance programs by acting as the single state agency authorizedunder title XIX of the U.S. Social Security act, 42 U.S.C. § 1396a etseq., notwithstanding any general or public law or regulation to the contrary,and exercising such single state agency authority for such other federal andstate programs as may be designated by the governor. Except as provided forherein, nothing in this chapter shall be construed as transferring to thesecretary: (1) The powers, duties or functions conferred upon the departmentsby Rhode Island general laws for the administration of the foregoing federaland state programs; or (2) The administrative responsibility for thepreparation and submission of any state plans, state plan amendments, orfederal waiver applications, as may be approved from time to time by thesecretary with respect to the foregoing federal and state programs.