Brooksville Health Office Closes for Renovations April 13 Through May 10

Birth certificates, WIC enrollments, free HIV tests, and environmental health permits all run through the Florida Department of Health in Hernando County. Starting April 13, the Brooksville location at 300 S. Main Street will be closed through May 10 for facility improvements, pushing every one of those services to the Spring Hill office on Forest Oaks Boulevard.

The Spring Hill office at 7551 Forest Oaks Blvd. carries the full portfolio: medical care, birth and death certificates, WIC nutrition support, environmental health, clinical and nutrition services, women's health, and teen services. It is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with no appointment required, a contrast to Brooksville's appointment-only, Monday-through-Wednesday schedule. The office accepts credit cards, is wheelchair accessible, and can be reached at 352-540-6800 or Web.HernandoCHD@FLhealth.gov.

The Brooksville office has been one of the county's primary access points for free HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and STI testing, and it provides PrEP services to uninsured patients on a sliding-scale fee. Residents who depend on those services should call 352-540-6800 ahead of any planned visit to confirm availability at Spring Hill during the closure window.

Environmental health is the category most likely to snag local businesses. Tattoo and body art establishments that need DOH compliance work, and property owners applying for onsite sewage or private well permits, all route through the environmental health division. Any of those transactions that fall between April 13 and May 10 will go to the Forest Oaks Boulevard office instead.

Hernando County's population, estimated at between 212,807 and 218,150 as of 2024 and growing at roughly 2.2 percent annually, relies heavily on income-based DOH services. The county's average annual wage of $39,141 and median household income of $63,193 put a significant portion of residents in the range served by WIC, sliding-scale clinical care, and free testing programs.

DOH-Hernando falls under the Florida Department of Health, which on March 15, 2016, became the first integrated state health department in the nation to earn accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board, a designation covering all 67 county health departments and requiring renewal every five years.

DOH-Hernando has said it "looks forward to welcoming the community back to the improved Brooksville facility" once renovations are complete. Until then, the number to know is 352-540-6800.