Administration

The administration division is responsible for management functions that support services provided by The Caldwell County Health Department; including clinical, environmental, and animal control services. It implements public health policies set by the Board of Health and the State of North Carolina. It also carries out responsibilities required by Caldwell County such as personnel actions and budgetary and finance requirements.

Caldwell County Health Department follows all laws found under G.S. 130-A.

Fees & Budget

Budget

Caldwell County Health Department's annual budget is adopted by the Board of Health. Recommendations are made by County Administration to the Board of Commissioners who ultimately approves the budget.

Fees

Fees are usually determined using data from the most recent Medicaid Cost Study (our cost of providing a service) and the Medicaid rate agreed upon by the NC Division of Public Health and the Division of Medical Assistance. However, Immunization fees and some drugs are not based on the Medicaid rate. These fees are based on the cost of the vaccine or drug. If there is an increase or decrease in the cost of a vaccine those changes are made throughout the year.

Reminder, all charges for clients who are "Patient Pay" (responsible for entire or part of their bill) are put on a sliding fee scale. This scale is based on the patient's income and household size in relation to the federal poverty level. Therefore, patients can be responsible for 100% to 0% of their bill for services.

Also as a reminder: our dental clinic sees only Medicaid patients. Very rarely are there any patient pay requirements because we bill Medicaid for those services.

Proof of Income

Caldwell County Health Department requires all clients presenting for service to provide proof of income. Income will be assessed annually unless there is a change in financial status. Clients will be asked at each visit if there has been a change in financial status or number in the household.

Clients who have met the income criteria for the following programs (i.e., Medicaid, WIC, Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Program (Food Stamps), and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Program) will only be required to show documentation of current eligibility and no additional income screening will be necessary.

No client will be refused services when presenting for care based on lack of documentation; however, each client will be billed at 100% until proof of income and family size is provided to the agency.

Debt Set-off

Clients who choose not to make payments towards outstanding account balances for more than 60 days, may be subject to this program. Clients will be placed in the clearinghouse at which point, NC State tax refunds or lottery earnings may be withheld. Clients with outstanding balances can choose to set up a payment plan with our finance department. Clients can request this option at check-out or call 828-426-8400 for more information.

If you have been set-off and have questions regarding this process you can find more information on the NC League of Municipalities website.

Management Team

Health Department Leadership

Management Team Directory

Related Documents

  1. CCHD's Organizational Chart (PDF)

Vital Records

CCHD records all births and deaths that occur in Caldwell County regardless of residency status. All births and deaths must be filed with the local Deputy Registrar within 5 days of occurrence.

The original copy is sent to the NC Vital Records Department and a copy is sent to the Caldwell County Register of Deeds.

You may visit the Register of Deeds office in person to obtain a certified copy during regular business hours. The fee is $10 per certificate and you must present a valid government-issued picture ID in order to obtain a certified copy. 

For further information, you may contact the Deputy Registrar for Caldwell County at 828-426-8466.