Public Health

The Public Health Branch protects and promotes the health status of Tulare County residents through the development and implementation of public health and primary care programs that use best-practice interventions. 

The Public Health Branch comprises the following four divisions:

  • Health Services
  • Public Health
  • Environmental Health
  • Health Administration

Our leadership team:

  • Director of Public Health, Karen Elliott
  • Deputy Public Health Officer, Thomas Overton, M.D. 
  • Deputy Director Public Health & Environmental Health Director, Nilsa Gonzalez
  • Deputy Director of Health Operations, Staci Chastain

The Public Health Branch provides services to residents of Tulare County, including Medi-Cal beneficiaries and indigent clients. Services are provided with the intention of protecting health, preventing disease, and promoting the health and well-being of all persons in Tulare County.

Public Health Services include:

  • Health assessments and case management
  • Primary, specialty, and preventive health care
  • Public Health laboratory services
  • Criminal Justice health services
  • Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Program
  • Prenatal and perinatal wellness
  • Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Program (NEOP)
  • Immunizations
  • Chronic disease prevention and self-management
  • California Children’s Services (CCS)
  • Child Health and Disability Prevention Program (CHDP)
  • Lead Poisoning Prevention
  • Infectious disease control
  • Emergency response planning and preparedness
  • Regulation of production and shipping of milk for Tulare and Kings Counties
  • Environmental health services
  • Environmental water quality testing

 

Mosquito Prevention
Mosquito Prevention

Authorization for use or disclosure of protected health information.

Winter Virus Prevention
Winter Virus Prevention

This page is intended to provide updated information winter virus protection

COVID-19 in Tulare County
COVID-19 in Tulare County

This page is intended to provide updated information regarding COVID-19.

Monkeypox (Mpox) in Tulare County
Monkeypox (Mpox) in Tulare County

This page is intended to provide updated information regarding monkeypox.

Request for Information
Request for Information

Authorization for use or disclosure of protected health information.

Public Health Links
Public Health Links

This is a collection of links to external sites and to resources and information related to public health laws, regulations, services, and educational materials.

Public Health Reports
Public Health Reports

On this page you will find a variety of reports related to Public Health programs and concerns. Click on one of the links below to learn more.

ACEs Aware
ACEs Aware

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress represent a public health crisis that has been, until recently, largely unrecognized by our health care system and society.  Tulare County Public Health will be working with local providers to increase awareness of this issue.

CA PREP
CA PREP

The California Personal Responsibility Education Program (CA PREP) provides sexual health education to adolescents via effective, evidence-based program models. This includes instruction on abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. 

California Children's Services (CCS)
California Children's Services (CCS)

California Children's Services program assists families when they are unable to pay for their child’s medical needs and if they have a qualifying medical condition.

Car Seat Safety Program
Car Seat Safety Program

HHSA Public Health's Car Seat Safety Program provides a two-hour car seat safety class to eligible parents and/or legal guardians to improve the safety of children and reduce incidences of injury when involved in car accidents.

Child Health & Disability Prevention (CHDP)
Child Health & Disability Prevention (CHDP)

The Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program provides no-cost health checkups to children and youth from low-income families.

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention

The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program works to prevent the damaging effects of lead poisoning. We can provide home visits, environmental home inspections, and nutritional assessments to families of children with severe lead poisoning.

Communicable Disease and Other Required Reporting
Communicable Disease and Other Required Reporting

Under the California Code of Regulations, Title 17 (Section 2500), public health professionals, medical providers, and others are mandated to report approximately 85 diseases or conditions to their local health department.

Community Health Assessment (CHA) & Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)
Community Health Assessment (CHA) & Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)

In 2015, Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) undertook the process of conducting a comprehensive community health assessment (CHA) that would be the basis for the development of a community health improvement plan (CHIP). The CHA is intended to assess health behaviors, health outcomes and the social, economic, and environmental factors impacting health in Tulare County through the collection of data and by listening to the ideas and concerns of people and organizations from across the county.

Environmental Health
Environmental Health

The Tulare County Division of Environmental Health is a full-service division that is dedicated to protecting the health of people and the environment in Tulare County.

Every Woman Counts
Every Woman Counts

At Every Woman Counts, staff aim to detect breast and cervical cancer as early as possible, so affected women can receive timely treatment. The service is offered free of charge to women without health insurance, and those who have Medi-Cal or Medicare, at our Visalia and Farmersville Health Care Centers.

Family Planning, Access, Care & Treatment (PACT)
Family Planning, Access, Care & Treatment (PACT)

The Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment (PACT) program provides family planning services for low-income men, women, and teens. Services include education, contraceptives, and prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Health Care Centers
Health Care Centers

Tulare County's Health Care Centers focus on the family's health and well-being by providing top level diagnosis, and prognosis, as well as preventative and general medicine.

HIV / AIDS / STD
HIV / AIDS / STD

The HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education program provides education to community alcohol and drug rehabilitation groups to help prevent the spread of this disease.

Immunizations
Immunizations

To help Tulare County parents make sure their children get all the immunizations (shots) they need and at the right ages, the Immunization Program provides vaccines to children whose parents or guardians cannot afford them.

LGBTQ+ Health Resources
LGBTQ+ Health Resources
Our Health Care Centers are committed to providing appropriate and supportive clinical care to our LGBTQ patients. This page contains additional community supportive resources.
Local Oral Health Program (LOHP)
Local Oral Health Program (LOHP)

The Local Oral Health Program's (LOHP) mission is to improve the oral health of all Californians through prevention, education, and organized community efforts.

Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program

The Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) programs aim to improve the maternal, infant, child, and adolescent health of residents of Tulare County. In addition, it aims to increase access to health care for childbearing-age women, pregnant/postpartum women, infants, children, and youth with special health care needs.

Nutrition Education & Obesity Prevention (NEOP)
Nutrition Education & Obesity Prevention (NEOP)

Tulare County's Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention (NEOP) program increases access to healthy foods and provides nutrition education across the county.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)
Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)

PHEP plays a vital role in emergency preparedness. The program focuses on preparing for and responding to events that pose a substantial risk to the health of the county’s residents, including public health threats and other emergencies.

Public Health Laboratory
Public Health Laboratory

The Tulare County Public Health Laboratory (TCPHL) provides laboratory services that protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of the people of Tulare County.

Safe Asleep Program
Safe Asleep Program

The Safe Asleep Program provides free home visits to teach parents, guardians, and families about the importance of giving babies a safe sleeping environment.

Tobacco Prevention Program
Tobacco Prevention Program

The Tulare County Tobacco Prevention Program (TCTPP) is dedicated to reducing tobacco/nicotine use and protecting our residents from the harmful effects of secondhand and third hand (residual nicotine) smoke in Tulare County.

Tuberculosis Control Program
Tuberculosis Control Program

The Tulare County Tuberculosis Control Program aims to eliminate tuberculosis from the county and prevent its transmission and spread within the county.

Tulare County Medical Services (TCMS)
Tulare County Medical Services (TCMS)

The TCMS program helps pay for medical care for Tulare County residents with low income who are uninsured, do not qualify for the Medi-Cal program, and are unable to pay their medical expenses on their own.

Vital Statistics
Vital Statistics

The Office of Vital Records is responsible for registering all of the births and deaths that take place in Tulare County. Only authorized persons may receive certified copies of birth and death certificates.

Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

WIC is designed to help pregnant women, new mothers, and young children eat well and stay healthy. WIC provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to health care and social services.