About Columbus Health Department · Columbus
The Columbus Health Department is the Muscogee County (Columbus, Georgia) public health clinic operated by the West Central Health District (District 7) of the Georgia Department of Public Health. It provides clinical services such as immunizations, family planning, STI/HIV testing, tuberculosis screening, dental care and women's health exams, alongside community programs including WIC, Children and Youth with Special Needs, and Vital Records. The department shares a campus with administrative offices at 2100 Comer Avenue and a satellite clinic at Fort Benning, and it serves as the flagship county location for a 16-county health district in west-central Georgia.
The Columbus Health Department is the county-level public health agency for Muscogee County, Georgia, and the lead site of the West Central Health District (Georgia DPH District 7). Its main clinic sits on the lower level of 5601 Veterans Parkway, Columbus, GA 31904, with administrative and Environmental Health offices on the second floor of 2100 Comer Avenue, a Vital Records annex at 8397 Macon Road in Midland, and a WIC clinic inside the Soldier for Life Center at Fort Benning. The building houses a professional clinical and program staff led by Nurse Manager Michelle Crawford, RN, BSN, and offers both appointment-based care (family planning, dental, women's health, immunizations, TB testing) and walk-in services such as daily HIV testing. Beyond direct clinical care, the department runs the federal WIC nutrition program for women, infants and children; the Children and Youth with Special Needs program; Vital Records (birth and death certificates); and Environmental Health inspections and ServSafe food-safety certification. The Columbus office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with periodic half-day 'limited-service' closures each month for staff training. As a government public health provider, it accepts insurance, Medicaid, and offers sliding-scale fees, and it is the largest of 16 county sites in the West Central Health District that also covers Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster counties.
- Owner
- Operated by the Georgia Department of Public Health (West Central Health District / District 7); county Nurse Manager: Michelle Crawford, RN, BSN
- Serves
- Muscogee County (Columbus), Georgia, and as part of West Central Health District also serves Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster counties; satellite WIC clinic at Fort Benning
Overview of the Columbus Health Department
The Columbus Health Department is the public-health clinic serving Muscogee County (Columbus), Georgia. It is operated by the West Central Health District, which is Georgia Department of Public Health District 7. The department's mission, in its own words, is to have 'a professional staff waiting to serve you and your family' with both clinical services (testing and immunizations) and program services such as WIC and Children's Services.
- Operated by Georgia DPH, West Central Health District (District 7)
- Main clinic at 5601 Veterans Parkway, Lower Level, Columbus, GA 31904
- Open Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Nurse Manager: Michelle Crawford, RN, BSN
Clinical Services
The Columbus clinic delivers the standard menu of county public-health clinical services, including immunizations, women's health, family planning, dental care, and screening for HIV, STIs, hepatitis and tuberculosis. Several programs accept insurance, Medicaid and sliding-scale fees, and HIV testing is offered daily without an appointment.
- Immunizations (Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, HPV, and others)
- Women's Health: physical exams, pap smears, lab testing, contraceptive assessment
- Family Planning
- HIV testing (rapid and conventional) — daily walk-in, no appointment
- STI testing and treatment; PrEP clinic and PrEP navigation
- Hepatitis A, B and C testing
- Tuberculosis (TB) testing and treatment
- Dental Health (706-321-6190)
- Eye, Ear and Dental (EED) screenings
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
The Columbus Health Department is the lead WIC site for Muscogee County, with a satellite location at Fort Benning. WIC provides federal supplemental nutrition support for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to age five. New applicants can apply in person or by phone.
- Main WIC line: 706-321-6374
- Appointment hotline: 800-789-5502
- Main WIC hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; third Saturday of each month 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
- Fort Benning WIC: Soldier for Life Center (same building as Commissary), 706-682-8455
- Fort Benning hours: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., closed 12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Children and Youth with Special Needs (CYSHCN)
The Children and Youth with Special Needs program connects eligible families to medical care, support services and resources for children with chronic medical or developmental conditions. Reached through the main district number.
- Phone: 833-337-1749
- Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
HIV Prevention and Treatment
The Columbus site is a key HIV prevention hub for the West Central Health District, offering daily walk-in testing, PrEP services, partner notification, and free HIV home test kits or condoms by mail. The CDC's National Prevention Information Network lists the site for rapid and conventional HIV testing, STI testing, condom distribution, case management and ADAP drug purchasing assistance.
- Phones: 706-321-6413 or 706-321-6426
- Open Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
- HIV testing daily — no appointment necessary
- PrEP clinic and PrEP navigation
- Free HIV home test kits and condom home delivery
- Case management and AIDS Drug Purchasing Assistance (ADAP)
Environmental Health
Environmental Health services — including restaurant and food-service inspections, septic and well-water permitting, and other environmental oversight — are run out of the second floor of 2100 Comer Avenue. The office also hosts the ServSafe Food Protection Manager 8-Hour Certification Course.
- Phone: 706-321-6170
- Located at 2100 Comer Avenue, 2nd Floor, Columbus, GA 31904
- Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- ServSafe Food Protection Manager 8-hour certification course offered
Vital Records
The Columbus Health Department is the official Vital Records office for Muscogee County, issuing certified birth and death certificates. A Vital Records Annex in nearby Midland handles many requests on a more limited basis.
- Main Vital Records: 833-337-1749, located at 5601 Veterans Parkway
- Vital Records Annex: 8397 Macon Road, Midland, GA (adjacent to the Department of Driver Services)
- Annex hours: Tuesday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
- Annex does NOT handle paternity acknowledgements, amendments, legitimization or delayed birth certificates — those go to the main office
Locations, Hours and Access
Services are split across several buildings in Columbus and at Fort Benning. The main clinical clinic is on the lower level of 5601 Veterans Parkway; administrative offices and Environmental Health are upstairs/next door at 2100 Comer Avenue; a Vital Records annex sits in Midland; and WIC also operates from the Soldier for Life Center on Fort Benning.
- Main clinic: 5601 Veterans Parkway, Lower Level, Columbus, GA 31904
- Administrative & Environmental Health: 2100 Comer Avenue, 2nd Floor
- Vital Records Annex: 8397 Macon Road, Midland, GA
- Fort Benning WIC: Soldier for Life Center (same building as Commissary)
- District main line: 833-337-1749; fax 706-321-6126
- After-hours emergencies: Poison Control 800-222-1222
- Limited-service half days occur on listed dates each month (lab, TB testing, and EED only)
West Central Health District and Service Area
Columbus is the largest of 16 county health departments in the West Central Health District (District 7) of the Georgia Department of Public Health. District-wide programs include opioid and substance-abuse prevention, the Public Health on Wheels mobile outreach unit, and free home HIV test kits and condoms.
- Counties served: Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Webster
- Public Health on Wheels mobile clinic
- Opioid and substance-abuse prevention programming
- Free HIV home test kit / condom home delivery
- Wellness Panel labwork with A1c — no prescription needed
Fees, Insurance and Access
As a government public-health provider, the Columbus Health Department accepts insurance and Medicaid and offers a sliding-scale fee structure. Vital Records and certain immunizations carry set state fees; a notice on the official site indicates that fee proration was discontinued for Muscogee County (Columbus) effective January 1, 2022.
- Accepts insurance
- Accepts Medicaid
- Sliding-scale fees available
- Some walk-in services (HIV testing) require no appointment
- Fee proration discontinued for Muscogee County effective January 1, 2022