Victoria County Public Health Department (VCPHD) is a local public health department fully administered by the County of Victoria, a local governmental body. There is an advisory Board of Health, which has no governing authority, but does offer non-binding recommendations to VCPHD. The Board is appointed by the City of Victoria and the County of Victoria. The Victoria County Commissioners' Court is the governing authority for VCPHD. VCPHD began in the 1890s as a disease control unit for the control of Smallpox infection in the area, and has evolved into a full service public health department, funded by local tax dollars, state and federal grant. VCPHD currently has multiple Divisions including Finance, Administration, Animal Control, Environmental Health; General Sanitation, Floodplain, Food Inspections/Permitting, Mosquito Control, On-Site Septic Facility Inspection/Permitting & Water Lab, Epidemiology, HIV/AIDS Resource Program (HARP), Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Public Health Nursing, and WIC. Currently VCPHD has 9 contracts through the Texas Department of Health Services (DSHS), and 3 DSHS subcontracts administered by Brazos County, TX.