Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness

Our vision is to provide the best public health services in the State of Georgia.

History and Profile

The Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness, formerly the Fulton County Health Department, was established in 1952 through legislative action by the State of Georgia; this action merged the City of Atlanta’s Health Department with that of Fulton County and placed all health services under the jurisdiction of Fulton County Government. The Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness is the only public health agency in the State of Georgia that is under the auspices of local government.

Today, services have evolved to include a vast array of programs that provide comprehensive health care for Fulton County citizens. They include both preventive care and treatment in the following areas: 1) infectious diseases; 2) women’s and children’s health, 3) environmental health and, 4) other services which include health education, stroke and heart attack prevention programs and refugee screenings.

With a workforce of more than 700 health care professionals and support staff, the Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness is the largest county health department in the State of Georgia, covering a 535 square mile area encompassing approximately 88 percent of the City of Atlanta. Included in its population are richly diverse communities of color, ethnicity and class, and a significantly large uninsured population. The department has 8 health centers, some within the City of Atlanta and others in the surrounding areas of Fulton County. The health centers are easily accessible via public transportation and convenient to a vast majority of clients. Mobile units further increase client access to Health and Wellness services. The department provides services for more than 350,000 visits annually, an average of over 1500 visits per workday.

Public Health Functions

In 1988 the Institute of Medicine issued a report that described disarray nationally in the public health system. The report made recommendations for core functions in public health assessment, policy development, and service assurances, and identified the level of government--federal, state, and local--at which these functions would best be handled. These core functions were further developed into the Ten Essential Public Health Services , which provide a working definition of public health, describes public health activities that should be undertaken in all communities and provide a guiding framework for the responsibilities of local public health systems.

Assessment refers to the obligation of every public health agency to monitor the health status and needs of its community regularly and systematically.
- Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems.
- Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community
Policy development refers to the responsibility of every public health agency to develop comprehensive policies that are based on available knowledge and responsive to communities’ health needs.
- Inform , educate, and empower people about health issues.
- Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems.
- Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
Assurance is the guarantee of governments that agreed-upon, high-priority personal and community health services will be provided to every member of the community by qualified organizations.
- Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
- Link people to needed health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
- Assure competent public and personal health care workforce.
- Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services.
- Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.

Health District 3-2

The Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness is simultaneously an entity of County Government and a district in the State Public Health system. Fulton is the only county that has this distinction. The Director is foremost a Department Head and also the Health Officer for District 3-2. Many of the powers and authorities bestowed upon the Health Officer are based in state code and are exercised through the position of Health Officer.

A unique feature of this dual status is that the Board of Health in Fulton County is advisory, not authoritative, as is the case in all 158 other Counties in Georgia.

Furthermore, Health and Wellness has two overlapping budget cycles; the state fiscal year and the county fiscal year.

Services Provided in 2008

Clinical 209,511

WIC 18,034

Vital Records
........44,489 Birth Certificates
........52,887 Death Certificates

Epidemiology 1,014,932

Environmental & West Nile Services 71,599

Health Education
........Classes Conducted: 150, participants: 1, 457
........Health Promotion Events/Meetings: 42
........Community Health Fairs Participated: 138
........Participants: 50, 672

Driving Directions

From the North: From I-75 and I-85 go south toward Atlanta. Take exit 248A for Martin Luther King Jr. Drive toward state Capitol. Stay in the right lane and turn right at Jesse Hill Jr. Drive. Go about 0.2 mile. Aldredge Health Center is at the corner of Jesse Hill Jr Drive and Gilmer Street, across from Grady Memorial Hospital.

From The South: From I-75 and I-85 go north toward Atlanta. Take exit 248A for Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Turn left toward state Capitol. Stay on the right lane and turn right at Jesse Hill Jr. Drive. Go about 0.2 mile. Aldredge Health Center is at the corner of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive and Gilmer Street, across from Grady Memorial Hospital.From the North: From I-75 and I-85 go south toward Atlanta. Take exit 248A for Martin Luther King Jr. Drive toward state Capitol. Stay in the right lane and turn right at Jesse Hill Jr. Drive. Go about 0.2 mile. Aldredge Health Center is at the corner of Jesse Hill Jr Drive and Gilmer Street, across from Grady Memorial Hospital.

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