Frequently Asked Questions

Dental FAQ
Nursing Services FAQ

How can I make this page easier to read?
What do I need to view these PDF files?
How do I find what I need on this website?
What is Public Health? How is it different from a medical clinic or hospital?
What is the relationship between the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and the Champaign County Public Health Department?
How do I know if I qualify for services?
Where is Public Health?
How do I get there?
How much do Public Health services cost?
What if I can't afford it?
What if I don't have insurance?
Can I just walk in for services or do I need an appointment?
Where do I go to get WIC (Women, Infants & Children) services?
Where can I get tested for HIV or a sexually transmitted disease?
How is my privacy protected?
How do I get a pregnancy test?
How do I get dental care for my child?
Where can I get immunizations?
How can I get a vision and hearing screening for my child?
How do I get a flu shot?
How do I get a birth or death certificate?
I need a permit application for a food service. What do I do?
I want to drill a new well. What do I need to know?
I'm planning to install a private sewage system. What do I need to do?
What does Public Health do about the West Nile virus?
How do I get a Tuberculosis (TB) test?
Where can I find out when the C-U or the County Board of Health is meeting?
Are there any job openings at Public Health?
I want to quit smoking. Are there and programs to help me?

Send a question: Use our contact form.

How can I make this page easier to read?

On your web browser, click on View, Select Text Size, and increase the text to suit your needs.

What do I need to view these PDF files?

PDF files are Adobe Acrobat files. You will need either Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) or Adobe Acrobat. You can get the reader free for most operating systems. Clicking on the image at the right will take you to the Adobe site where you can download this software.

If you use a screen reader to access the internet you may want to look into Adobe Reader XI accessibility.

How do I find what I need on this website?

On the main page of the website there are pictures towards the bottom of the screen for each division. Below each picture there is a list of some of the services teach division provides. You can click on the buttons below the pictures to go to that portion of the website. At the bottom of the main page of the website there are links to our other websites. On other pages of the website there are links to each division below the tan banner at the top of the page.

The main page also has a menu on the right side of the page with links directly to popular pages of the website. If you still can not find what you are looking for there is a search link at the top, right of most pages of the website that should help you locate what you are looking for.

What is Public Health? How is it different from a medical clinic or hospital?

Public Health is not a "full-service" medical facility. We do not offer primary medical care for adults or children. We do offer a range of medical and support services, however, some of which are also provided in doctors' offices. Our mission is to prevent disease and injury and to lessen the impact of disease. We strive to make our services accessible to anyone in Champaign County, and some of our services are available to people in other counties.

What is the relationship between the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and the Champaign County Public Health Department?

The Champaign County Public Health Department was formed by a referendum of county voters in 1996. The governing body, the County Board of Health, contracts with CUPHD for public health programming for persons living in Champaign County, outside of the cities of Champaign and Urbana. Food protection, potable water, and sewage programs are operated in the County by CUPHD staff. Additionally communicable disease prevention, investigation and mitigation are provided to county residents.

CUPHD also administers a variety of grant-funded programs that benefit county residents. The County BoH contracts with CUPHD to provide these services to county residents. These include the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, Family Case Management, HIV prevention and testing services, case management for persons living with HIV or AIDS, emergency preparedness activities, tobacco prevention and cessation programming, immunizations, including flu shots, and other services.

CUPHD maintains an office for WIC and other maternal and child health services in Rantoul to better serve the members of Northern Champaign County. This office is located at 520 E. Wabash, Rantoul, Ph: 217-893-0832.

Smile Healthy, dental services for children living in Champaign County, outside of Champaign and Urbana, is funded in part by the CBOH.

CUPHD and the Champaign County Board of Health work together to find and fund important services to keep all of Champaign County healthy and safe.

How do I know if I qualify for services?

Any resident of Champaign County qualifies for services from Public Health. Some programs, such as the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program and HIV/AIDS Services and Support are also available to people from other counties. Some programs require that you meet income guidelines to qualify for services. Every website page that describes a specific program also gives details about eligibility requirements.

Where is Public Health?

Our main office is located at 201 West Kenyon Road. We also have an office in Rantoul. Go to the Locations page for details.

How do I get there?

Our Locations page includes maps and bus information.

How much do Public Health services cost?

Fees vary. Every website page describing a service includes the cost of that service. You may also visit the Fee page for a list of all Public Health fees.

What if I can't afford it?   What if I don't have insurance?

We can help you apply for FamilyCare or KidCare if you qualify. We will bill Medicaid (KidCare/FamilyCare) or Medicare whenever possible and we will hand you a bill at the time you receive the service. YOU WILL NOT BE TURNED AWAY FROM ANY PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY.

Can I just walk in for services or do I need an appointment?

Some divisions (Dental Health, for example) require you to make an appointment. Others allow walk-ins. Please read the program description to find out if an appointment is required.

Where do I go to get WIC (Women, Infants & Children) services?

These services are available at our main office in Champaign and in Rantoul. Go to the WIC web page to learn how to access the services.

Where can I get tested for HIV or a sexually transmitted disease?

These services are available through our division of Infectious Disease Prevention & Management. Go to the STD clinic page, or the Sexually Transmitted Diseases page for more details.

How is my privacy protected?

In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This act set in place certain rules regarding the disclosure of medical privacy policies.

HIPAA requires us to notify you about your privacy rights and how your information can be used. We must have and use a privacy policy for all patient/client records. We must train our employees so that they understand the privacy procedures and we must designate an individual to be responsible for seeing that the privacy procedures are adopted and followed. We are also required to store patient records containing individually identifiable health information so that they are not readily available to those who do not need them.

See the full Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Privacy Regulations. (PDF)

For answers to Frequently Asked Questions about HIPAA, see the Health and Human Services questions page.

How do I get a pregnancy test?

Several divisions offer pregnancy tests. You may be tested through our Maternal and Child Health Management Division, the Mobile Outreach Program or at the Urbana School Health Center.

How do I get dental care for my child?

If you live in Champaign or Urbana, call the Health District Dental Clinic to make an appointment for your child: (217) 531-4279. If you live in Champaign County outside C-U call the County Dental Access Program: (217) 384-1689.

How can I get a vision and hearing screening for my child?

These services are offered through the division of Wellness & Health Promotion.

How do I get a flu shot?

Adult flu and pneumonia shots are offered in the autumn by the division of Wellness & Health Promotion and the Infectious Disease Prevention & Management Division. Child flu and pneumonia shots are available through the division of Maternal and Child Health Management.

How do I get a birth or death certificate?

Vital Records can help you get birth or death certificates.

I need a permit application for a food service. What do I do?

Go to the Food Safety section of our website for information.

I want to drill a new well. What do I need to know?

Go to the Private Water Wells section of our website for information.

I'm planning to install a septic system. What do I need to do?

Go to the Private Sewage Systems section of our website for information.

What does Public Health do about the West Nile virus?

We monitor local populations of mosquitoes for West Nile infection. This helps us alert the public about areas that are more likely to contain infected mosquitoes. We also monitor state health department reports of West Nile infected birds.

How do I get a Tuberculosis (TB) test?

We offer TB skin tests every week and follow-up tests and treatment for those who test positive. Field TB testing is available for groups. A speaker is available to make presentations about TB.

Where can I find out when the C-U Board of Health is meeting?

Meeting schedules are available here.

Are there any job openings at Public Health?

Go to our Human Resources page for job openings.

I want to quit smoking. Are there and programs to help me?

Yes, our division of Wellness & Health Promotion offers classes.