Nature Coast CHC/Hernando CHD Main Page


Hernando County Health Department is pleased to announce the appointment of Philip W. Spence, MA, as the new Health Department Administrator effective January 20, 2012. Mr. Spence has served as Interim Administrator since late November 2011 when Elizabeth Callaghan retired after 25 years with the Florida Department of Health. Mr. Spence began working for the Florida Department of Health as the Highlands County Health Department Administrative Services Director in 2003. During the assignment he completed the year-long University of South Florida (USF) Public Health Leadership Program. After three successful years, he transferred to the Manatee County Health Department in the same position. A little over one year later, he accepted the Administrative Services Director position at the Seminole County Health Department and in 2009 he was promoted to Assistant Director.	“I am excited to work with this team of skilled and dedicated professionals who provide over 183,000 direct services to Hernando County residents and visitors each year. The Health Department works closely and in collaboration with our clients and community partners to improve health and wellness. In these increasingly difficult economic times, we continue to provide high quality services and I’m confident we will discover new opportunities to improve health in Hernando County.”

Welcome to the Hernando County Health Department / Nature Coast Community Health Center website!
“Building partnerships within our community is the key to successfully achieving our mission of providing a safe and healthy environment for our residents and visitors. The Nature Coast Community Health Center, Inc. (NCCHC) is one such partnership. The NCCHC is a collaborative project with the Hernando County Health Department (HCHD). Together they focus on the provision of primary health care, the prevention of communicable disease, promotion of healthy lifestyles and the elimination of health disparities. Health promotion and wellness continue as our number one objective as we work toward Healthy People 2010 goals of reducing the incidence of chronic disease, cancer, child and spousal abuse and the promotion of good nutrition and positive lifestyle changes."

The County Health Rankings - the first set of reports to rank the overall health of every county in all 50 states was released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute. The 67 county health reports for Florida wil show you how healthy your county is.

The Hernando County Health Care Advisory Board (HCHCAB) is appointed and charged by the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) with monitoring the health needs of the county’s residents and making recommendations about how to meet those needs. Board members include volunteers who are appointed by the BOCC and represent healthcare consumers; healthcare providers, including physicians, dentists and nurse; mental health services; community health organizations; hospitals and the health department. This needs assessment has been developed by the HCHCAB as a way to fulfill its obligation to the county and its residents to provide a basis for focusing the attention of the BOCC and the community on special health issues over the next five years. Additionally, the 2006 Community Health Needs Assessment represents a continuing commitment by the BOCC and the community that began with the creation of the HCHCAB and has now resulted in an ongoing health needs assessment process.

New! Health Department Administrator

In these increasingly difficult economic times, we continue to provide high quality services and I’m confident we will discover new opportunities to improve health in Hernando County.”

In these increasingly difficult economic times, we continue to provide high quality services and I’m confident we will discover new opportunities to
improve health in Hernando County.”