The **Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)** is the state’s leading public health agency dedicated to protecting, maintaining, and improving the health of all Minnesotans. Established in its current form in 1977 after the abolition of the original state board of health founded in 1872, MDH operates statewide from its headquarters in Saint Paul and multiple regional offices[1][3]. Its statutory mission encompasses a wide array of public health responsibilities, including disease prevention, environmental health, healthcare quality oversight, and emergency preparedness for events like epidemics, natural disasters, and bioterrorism threats[1][2]. MDH’s comprehensive programs cover infectious disease monitoring and outbreak response, ensuring safe drinking water and food, supporting nutrition programs for vulnerable populations, regulating health care facilities, and improving mental health and chronic disease prevention[2]. The department also issues vital records such as birth and death certificates and screens newborns for rare disorders. It plays a pivotal role in addressing climate change’s health impacts and promotes health equity by partnering closely with local public health agencies, tribal governments, healthcare providers, and federal entities[2][4]. With a skilled workforce of approximately 1,789 professionals—including doctors, epidemiologists, and health educators—and an annual budget exceeding $800 million, MDH maintains rigorous standards of public health excellence and accreditation[4]. A notable recent innovation includes the launch of "Docket," a mobile app providing Minnesotans easy access to their immunization records through the state’s Immunization Information Connection system[3]. MDH's influence extends beyond direct health services; it leverages data analytics and policy development to improve healthcare delivery and environmental health outcomes statewide. Its longstanding history, broad mandate, and adoption of technology highlight its role as a vital institution at the intersection of public health, policy, and innovation in Minnesota[1][2][3][4].