County Health Department Services
Tennessee's County Health Departments provide a variety of health services to keep you healthy and to help you get well. Not all local health departments provide all of these health services.
Please contact the County Health Department where you would like to receive care to make sure it does provides the services you need, or to get information for another County Health Department where you can receive care with the services you need.
Clinical Services
Breast and Cervical Cancer Screenings (BCS Program)
The BCS Program provides clinical breast exams, pap smears, and mammograms for women 50-64 years of age, women 40-49 years with abnormal breast exams, and women under 40 with risks of abnormal breast symptoms who meet program guidelines.
CHANT (Community Health Access and Navigation in Tennessee)
CHANT (Community, Health, Access, and Navigation in TN) is a free, voluntary care coordination service that assists families in identifying resources in their community to meet medical or social needs. Those eligible for CHANT are pregnant/postpartum, children ages 0-21 years, and children with special healthcare needs.
Dental
Basic dental services are available to adults and children including dental examinations, fillings, extractions, cleaning, fluoride treatment, dental sealants, preventive education, and emergency care.
Family Planning Services
Family Planning patients receive a complete physical exam, and all appropriate lab tests, including pap smear. Reproductive health education focuses on different birth control methods, and provides birth control based on sliding fee scale, if desired. In addition, referrals for vasectomies are provided for men. ECP (Emergency Contraception) is also available.
GIFTS (Growing Inside Free of Tobacco and Smoking)
An incentive-based smoking cessation counseling program for pregnant individuals and their partners.
Harm Reduction Navigation-Linkage to Care
Harm Reduction Navigation staff are based in some County Health Departments and receive referrals for those at high risk for overdose. Navigation staff provide education, brief intervention, and linkage to care services. Harm Reduction Navigation is a free program available to all community members.
Immunizations
Childhood and adult vaccinations are available to protect against many diseases.
Primary Care
Primary care services including acute illness and chronic disease management are provided by licensed medical staff at some of Tennessee’s County Health Departments. Services include medical evaluation, laboratory testing, and limited support with prescribed medications.
WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)
The WIC program provides supplemental food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and more. WIC is for income eligible pregnant women, postpartum women, breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5.
Communicable Disease Control
Hepatitis C
County Health Departments provide CDC-recommended universal hepatitis C testing for all adults age 18 years and older. Risk reduction counseling is provided as well as results-based treatment or referral.
Infectious Disease Control
Reportable infectious diseases are investigated and monitored by County Health Departments. Appropriate intervention and follow up are provided as necessary.
PrEP
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of medications to prevent the spread of disease in people who have not yet been exposed to a disease. County Health Departments assess and identify persons at high-risk for acquiring HIV infection and connect them to appropriate care.
Sexually Transmitted Disease
County Health Departments provide preventive education, confidential testing, treatment, and partner notification for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
Tuberculosis Control
Patients diagnosed with tuberculosis receive medication and followup care through County Health Departments.
Community Services
Birth and Death Certificates
Certified copies of birth certificates can be obtained for Tennessee births. Certified copies of death certificates can also be obtained for deaths occurring in Tennessee.
Environmental Health Program
Environmental Health Program staff are responsible for inspecting and permitting restaurants, public swimming pools, hotels, bed and breakfasts, organized campgrounds, tattoo studios, and body piercing studios. The Environmental Health Program also investigates animal exposures for rabies control and distributes state rabies tags to veterinarians.
Health Education and Promotion
Health educators work with individuals and groups to provide information on a variety of topics related to a healthy lifestyle.