ARS (Regional Health Authority)

The ARS (Agence Régionale de Santé or regional health authority in English) is a public institution under the supervision of the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health. It is in charge of implementing the regional health policy. The ARS is responsible for regulating the supply of healthcare in the regions to make services better suited to needs and guarantee the efficiency of the health system, in the outpatient sector (practitioner-based medicine), the medico-social sector (help and support for the elderly and the disabled) and the hospital sector. Regional health authorities also lead the way on public health in the regions through the monitoring of people’s health, the implementation of health prevention and promotion campaigns and the management of health crises.