Allendale clinic stays open as Hampton County health office closes briefly

A temporary closure in Hampton County has made one thing clear for Allendale families: basic public-health care is still available closer to home than many people may realize. The South Carolina Department of Public Health said the Hampton County Health Department closed May 22 for air-conditioning repairs, but clinical services remain available at the Allendale County Health Department, 571 Memorial Ave. in North Allendale, and at the Jasper County Health Department in Ridgeland.

The department’s public-health-clinics page said Hampton was expected to reopen June 8, while a separate update said preventive health services in Hampton County would resume Tuesday, June 9, through a Mobile Health Unit. DPH also said the Hampton County Health Department will reopen in July, with immunizations resuming then. For residents trying to avoid missed shots or a long detour for routine care, the distinction matters: some services shifted temporarily, but others were already available in Allendale.

The Allendale clinic remains one of the clearest options for people who need vaccinations, family-planning care, help with opioid overdose prevention kits, STI, HIV and Hep C services, or tuberculosis treatment. DPH says its family-planning program provides confidential reproductive services to women, men and teens, with some services available at low or no cost. Appointments can be scheduled Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding state holidays.

Vital-records service is being handled separately. During the Hampton closure, residents needing those records are directed to the Beaufort County Health Department, 1905 Duke Street, Room 250, in Beaufort. The department’s Lowcountry directory also lists the Allendale County Public Health Department at 571 Memorial Ave. North Allendale, SC 29810, with phone number (803) 584-3818, and Hampton County Public Health Department at 531 Carolina Ave. West in Varnville, a reminder that the closed Hampton site is a different location from the Allendale clinic.

The Allendale site also appears on DPH’s Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program issuing-sites list, underscoring its role as more than a single-purpose office. For rural households, that kind of overlap can keep care on schedule when another county facility goes dark, and it helps prevent the kind of delayed treatment that often follows a temporary closure.