Improving the health and quality of life for individuals, families, and communities by preventing disease, protecting the environment and promoting healthy lifestyles.
Public health nursing is the practice of promoting and protecting the health of populations using knowledge from nursing, social and public health sciences. The LCHD Nursing Division nurses vaccinate children and adults against disease, track down the sources of disease, help families with handicapped children, test for sexually transmitted diseases, educate teen and first-time moms, work at the Community Health Clinic, act as school nurses, and provide home health visits.
BCCP is a statewide, high-quality breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic program offered at no cost to eligible women in Ohio. Eligible women will be scheduled for services with providers in their area. If you live in BCCP Central Region (Union, Delaware, Licking, Fairfield, Franklin, Pickaway, Fayette, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Knox, Richland, Ashland, and Logan counties) call LCHD's BCCP staff at 1(866) 418-4963 for more information.
BCMH assists Licking County families with children who have eligible conditions including: Chronic Pulmonary Disease, Diabetes, Juvenile Arthritis, Cystic Fibrosis, Cancer, Cleft Lip/Palate, Cerebral Palsy, Hemophilia, Spina Bifida, Hearing Loss, Heart Defects and Seizure disorders. Families or agencies may apply to BCMH by contacting a public health nurse at (740) 349-6535, the child’s physician, or by calling 1-800 755-GROW (4769).
Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools available for preventing disease and death. They not only help protect vaccinated individuals, but also help protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases. LCHD offers immunizations for infants, children and adults including international travel vaccines.
Project DAWN is a community-wide naloxone (also known as narcan) distribution program. Naloxone is a medication that can be used to quickly reverse an overdose caused by an opioid drug.
The project educates opioid users, their family members or their friends on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a drug overdose, when to call emergency medical services, when to perform rescue breathing, and how to administer naloxone/narcan nasally. For more information call (740) 349-6685 or
email us.
STD testing is available at the health department to anyone from age 13 and older. Pregnancy Tests are also available by appointment or during the STD clinics. Testing is done for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Additionally, HIV and Hepatitis testing is offered to high risk individuals. Birth Control and PAP tests are not provided at the clinics. Appointments are available from 3 - 7 p.m. on most Wednesdays, call (740) 349-6535.
Communicable Disease Control, Dental Sealants, TB Testing, School Nursing.
On September 30, 2019 Amy Acton, MD, MPH, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, declared that severe pulmonary illness following the use of e-cigarettes, or vaping, poses a threat to the health and welfare of the residents of Ohio by creating a risk of human fatality or disability. To protect the people and address the risk, Dr. Acton has issued an order for health care providers, as defined in section 3701.23 of the Revised Code, or any individual having knowledge, to report by the end of the next business day all suspected cases of severe pulmonary illness of unclear etiology with a history of vaping in the ninety (90) days prior to symptom onset.
A state-wide Hepatitis A outbreak is impacting Ohio. Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease that affects the liver and is spread through ingestion of small particles of fecal matter from an infected individual. The high-risk populations for hepatitis A in this outbreak include: People who use drugs (injection or non-injection), People experiencing unstable housing or homelessness, People who are currently or were recently incarcerated, Men who have sex with men (MSM), People with chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C
LCHD has Hepatitis A vaccine available at no cost for individuals who do not have health insurance coverage. Call 740-349-6535 to schedule an appointment.
Our Communicable Disease Nurse and Epidemiologist track infectious disease cases and rates to prevent and control the spread of diseases (e.g., foodborne outbreaks, general infectious diseases, healthcare-associated infections, influenza, meningitis, tuberculosis, vaccine-preventable diseases, waterborne outbreaks, zoonotic diseases and vector-borne diseases). This is done by contacting the person who has been diagnosed with a reportable disease, their healthcare provider, family members or other close contacts when appropriate.
The staff works closely with other local health departments, healthcare providers and laboratories to ensure that infectious disease reports are reviewed and investigated in a timely manner. Ohio's list of reportable infectious diseases and reporting requirements, including timelines for reporting and surveillance case definitions, are included in the Ohio Department of Health's nfectious Disease Control Manual (IDCM).
Through a grant from the Ohio Department of Health, LCHD provides free dental screenings, oral health education and dental sealants to second and sixth grade students in income qualifying districts.
Dental sealants are a plastic material placed on the pits and fissures of the chewing surfaces of teeth and seal the tops of molars. Sealants cover up to 90 percent of the places where decay occurs in school children’s teeth. Sealants prevent tooth decay by creating a barrier between a tooth and decay-causing bacteria. Sealants also stop cavities from growing and can prevent the need for expensive fillings. The combination of sealants and fluoride has the potential to nearly eliminate tooth decay in school age children. The program is offered to second grade students because they have newly erupted first permanent molars, and sixth grade students who have gotten their second (12 year) molars.
Our dental sealant team provides dental sealants to students in 32 schools in four counties: Coshocton, Knox, Licking, and Morrow. School districts include: River View Local and Ridgewood Local in Coshocton County; East Knox and Mt. Vernon City in Knox County; Heath City, Lakewood, Licking Valley, Newark City, and North Fork in Licking County; and Mount Gilead and Northmor Local in Morrow County.