Brown County: Home

Welcome to the Brown County Health Department

The Brown County Health Department encourages organized community efforts to address public health issues by applying medical, scientific and technical knowledge to prevent disease and promote health.

Learn More

Please call the front office staff if you have any questions about Septic Permits, Septic Searches, or Spec Sheets.

The Brown County Health Department now accepts credit or debit cards with a 3% service fee. We also accept cash (when paying in person), personal checks, money orders, and cashier's checks.

Forms for the Brown County Health Department are accessible on both the individual services pages and on the Links/Forms page to help make finding and downloading our forms easier.

We do not provide COVID TESTING. To find a testing location please call 211 or check for availability with pharmacies and primary care providers. Some pharmacies also carry at-home rapid tests for purchase.

Community Health Resources: Adult Stay Well Clinics are held monthly at Hickory Ridge. Nurses perform general screenings for no charge at these clinics.

Important Health Information: For current information on safety concerns in Indiana, please contact the State Board of Health web page at http://www.in.gov/isdh/.

If you have further questions or concerns, please contact our office at:
Phone: 812-988-2255

For additional updates please check the Brown County Health Department Facebook Page

New Training: Call (812)988-2255 or email bchealth@browncounty-in.gov to secure your spot for the class.

ROUTINE AND FLU VACCINES: Our department offers various routine vaccines and the seasonal flu vaccine. You do not need to have insurance to visit our facility. An appointment is required. To make an appointment or inquiry, please call us at 812-988-2255.

Hepatitis C AND HIV Testing: We are now offering Hepatitis C and HIV testing for free. The testing is done through a finger stick, and results are available in 15 minutes. Please call us for more information.

ENVIRONMENTAL LOAN OPPORTUNITIES FOR BROWN COUNTY RESIDENTS:

The Great Lakes Community Action Partnership Decentralized Water Systems Program now has grants available for water well, in-home water treatment, and septic systems repairs. The maximum loan amount is $15,000 with an interest rate of 1%. Maturity may not exceed 20 years and will depend on repayment ability. To be eligible, the applicant’s household income may not exceed $34,800. Associated loan costs are at the borrower’s expense and can be included within the loan. Applicants must own and occupy the home or be in the process of purchasing the home for occupancy. New home construction and community water systems are not eligible. For further information and to obtain an application please visit www.glcap.org or call Valerie Vanfleet at 1-800-775-9767 or 419-333-6074. Valerie can be reached by email directly at vjvanfleet@glcap.org.

VACCINE SPOTLIGHT OF THE MONTH: This month, we are shining the light on the Varicella Vaccine. This important vaccine protects against chickenpox!🦠 Two doses are recommended for full protection. Check out just how effective this vaccine is in the graphic below. For more information visit: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/varicella/hcp/about-vaccine.html

Vaccines

COMMUNITY INFORMATION: The Brown County Community Catalyst grant is looking for opinions from the community related to community health and well-being.

To take the survey you may scan the QR code or click this link: SURVEY

Food Manager's Certification Class

The Brown County Health Department offers a Food Manager Certification Class through the NRA ServSafe program several times annually. Keep an eye on updates for upcoming classes.This course is a 2 day class. Class will start both days at 8:30. The first day the class will end at 12:30pm and on the second day the test will be given at the end of class starting at about noon. There will be a two hour time-slot to complete the test.Cost for the class, text and test is $150. BCHD accepts cash, check and debit credit cards as payment. The text is the 7th edition of the ServSafe Food Manager. You can pay for the class and pick up the textbook anytime in advance of the class.Our office is open 8-4 from Monday to Friday at 200 Hawthorne Dr, Nashville, IN 47448. Call 812-988-2255 for more information or to reserve a place in this class.

2024 Restaurant License Renewals

2024 Food Establishment Licenses: The Annual Food Licensing applications for Brown County are on the "forms" tab, as are the Temporary License applications and the Farmer's Market Applications. Please be aware that mobile vendors with a business address outside of Brown County will need to file a Temporary License Application, and are not eligible for the Annual Food License in the County. For seasonal operations, licenses need to be renewed prior to opening. An original signed copy of all the applications is required in order to issue the licenses. We cannot accept scanned copies, we must have an original signature. You can mail this signed form to us, or drop it off at the office. We do take credit and debit cards for a 3% fee, also money orders and cash. Please call the office if you have any questions.

Food Safety Education Class

This FREE food safety class can be provided either at the County Building or your restaurant or food service establishment. This is a basic class that discusses the ways to help prevent food borne illness and is geared towards service staff, dishwashers, kitchen help and management. This is not a certified class and will not meet the requirements for a Certified Food Handler, but it will give staff a working knowledge of the reasons behind some of the Food Code regulations.

Contact Jennifer Heller, EHS at the Brown County Health Department to set up a time and location for presentations. (812) 988-2255

Brown County Health Department Sharps Containers Disposal Program

In an effort to ensure proper disposal of sharps (needles, syringes, and lancets), the Brown County Health Department is now participating in a sharps container disposal program. This is a free service for county residents who may use sharps for themselves, family members, pets, and/or livestock. Sharps containers may be picked up at the Health Department M-F, 8-4, with the exception of holidays.

A full, sealed sharps container can be returned to the Health Department for free disposal and an empty one received at that time. Sharps containers are for sharps only. No other waste is to be placed in the container. The Health Department will only collect and dispose of FDA-cleared sharps containers. Alternative sharps containers, such as detergent bottles or coffee cans, will not be accepted. This is not a syringe exchange program.

The Brown County Health Department thanks you for participating in this program in an effort to keep sharps out of our daily trash and helping to maintain Brown County as a beautiful place to live and work.