Health Department

Services Provided in TN Health Departments

Our mission: To protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of all people in Tennessee..

1. WIC (Women, Infants and Children): Supplemental food program that provides nutrition assessment, education and nutritious foods at no cost to pregnant, breastfeeding and post-partum women, infants and children (up to age 5) at nutritional risk.
2. Vital Records: Issues certified copies of birth and death certificates regardless of where in the state the event occurred. People born in Tennessee who now live out of state may apply online for a copy of their birth certificate at: https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/vital-records/applications.html
3. Environmental Health: Protect public health by providing support and education to state regulated facilities to help minimize health and safety concerns.
4. Child health/Immunizations: Well-child visits, including physical exams, screening tests and immunizations and required Tennessee certificate of immunizations for school and daycare entry.
5. Family Planning: A wide range of confidential and professional family planning services are available regardless of income to prevent unintended pregnancies through counseling, education and contraceptive services.
6. TN State Lab: Provides quality laboratory results for the following programs: STD, Tuberculosis Control, HIV/AIDS, newborn screening, environmental services and communicable diseases.
7. TEDS/Prenatal: The Tennessee Eligibility Determination System (TEDS) is a resource for pregnant women to apply for TennCare coverage. The local health department staff is available to assist patients in completing this process.
8. Breastfeeding Support: Services are provided by certified support staff who are available to help mothers and babies successfully meet breastfeeding goals. Tennessee Breastfeeding Hotline is 855-4BFMOMS (855-423-6667).
9. CHANT: Community Health Access and Navigation in Tennessee (CHANT) is a family centered and driven care coordination process, in which a trained care coordinator meets with the family to provide assessments, education and referrals to community resources. Target populations includes prenatal/postpartum women, all children birth to age 5, TennCare Kids eligible birth-20 years and children with special healthcare needs birth-21 years.
10. Health Education: Provides health education and other services to modify behavior to prevent and manage chronic diseases and other at-risk behaviors by partnering and engaging with community groups.
11. Rabies: Promote community rabies clinics and prevent the occurrence and spread of rabies within the human and animal population by investigating reports of exposures to potentially infected animals.
12. TB, COMMUNICABLE Diseases and STDs: Confidential testing, treatment, counseling, partner referral and epidemiological investigations for sexually transmitted disease, including tuberculosis.
13. Emergency Preparedness: Promotes public health emergency planning and response, which includes planning for response to disease outbreaks or acts of bio-terrorism, mass dispensing of antibiotics/vaccine, public education regarding emergency planning, continuity of operations in public health regions and recruitment/training of professional volunteers.
14. TN Tobacco Quitline: Offers a tobacco Quitline free to Tennessee residents. Free call, coaching and nicotine patches (if medically eligible and in coaching) to help tobacco users quit. Call 1-800-QUIT Now or tnquitline.org
15. Breast and Cervical: Provides breast and cervical cancer screening to uninsured and qualifying women and men.
16. Newborn Screening: Detects genetic or metabolic conditions, thereby reducing morbidity, premature death, intellectual and other developmental disability through early detection and follow up.
17. Women’s Health: Pap tests and clinical breast exams are available for women who qualify.
18. Motor Voter: Voter registration forms and assistance in completing forms are available at the health department.
19. Primary Care: Provides primary care services for uninsured adults ages 19-64.  Available at the Bedford, Lawrence and Maury County health departments.
20. Dental: School-based dental program provides preventative dental screenings, dental sealants, fluoride and oral health education for schools. The Lawrence, Lincoln and Maury County health departments offer dental treatment for children and adults who qualify.

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