Louisiana runs public health differently from most states. Instead of independent county health departments, the Office of Public Health, part of the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), operates health units in every one of the state's 64 parishes. Our directory uses the word county in its page addresses, but in Louisiana the local unit is the parish, and the staff are state employees.

That structure shapes what residents experience. Core services follow state rules from Shreveport to Slidell, yet hours, appointment policies, and the mix of clinics differ from one unit to the next. This page explains how the system fits together, so you can choose the right office before you make the drive.

How Louisiana Organizes Public Health: LDH, the Office of Public Health, and Nine Regions

The Louisiana Department of Health was called the Department of Health and Hospitals until 2015, and older signs, forms, and listings still use that name. Our database includes the Louisiana Department Of Health And Hospitals at 628 North 4th Street in Baton Rouge, phone 225-342-9500. That is the central agency address, and it suits statewide programs better than routine clinic visits.

Searching for a county health department in Louisiana can send you in the wrong direction. Look for the phrase parish health unit instead. Some of our listings carry older or informal names, so always match the street address and phone number before you leave home.

Below headquarters, the Office of Public Health splits the state into nine regions. Region 1 covers New Orleans and its neighbors, Region 2 covers Baton Rouge, and Region 3 covers Houma, Thibodaux, and Morgan City. Region 4 is Acadiana around Lafayette, Region 5 is Southwest Louisiana around Lake Charles, and Region 6 is Central Louisiana around Alexandria. Region 7 centers on Shreveport, Region 8 on Monroe, and Region 9 on the Northshore.

Regional offices handle administration, disease tracking, and environmental oversight. Our listings include the Capitol Regional Office at 7173A Florida Boulevard in Baton Rouge (225-925-7200), the Southwest Regional Office Of Public Health at 721 East Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles (337-475-3200), and the Louisiana Center For Community Health Central Regional Office at 5604 Coliseum Boulevard in Alexandria (318-487-5262). Call a regional office with program or inspection questions. Visit a parish health unit when you need a clinic service.

The legal framework is mostly in Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, which covers public health and safety, while Title 36 organizes the department itself. The Louisiana Sanitary Code, published as Title 51 of the Louisiana Administrative Code, sets rules for food service, drinking water, and onsite sewage systems. Those rules apply statewide, so a restaurant in Ruston and one in Metairie answer to the same code.

Metro Louisiana: Health Units in New Orleans, Metairie, Marrero, Baton Rouge, and Slidell

Greater New Orleans has the densest cluster of offices. In Orleans Parish, the Louisiana State Health Department listing sits at 1010 Common Street, phone 504-568-8405, and the Orleans County page shows the other sites we track. Keep in mind that the City of New Orleans also has its own health department, a city agency that is separate from the state's parish health unit.

Jefferson Parish splits its services between two state units. The East Bank Health Unit is at 111 North Causeway Boulevard in Metairie (504-838-5100), and the West Bank Health Unit is at 1855 Ames Boulevard in Marrero (504-349-8802). The Mississippi River separates the two, and bridge traffic can be slow, so choose the unit on your side. More detail is on the Jefferson Parish County page.

Baton Rouge has two state addresses in our listings: the headquarters on North 4th Street and the Capitol Regional Office on Florida Boulevard. Both house administrative functions, so phone first to ask whether the service you need is offered on site. Neighborhood clinic locations appear on the East Baton Rouge Parish County page.

Across Lake Pontchartrain, the Saint Tammany Parish Health Unit at 105 Medical Center Drive in Slidell (985-646-6445) serves the Northshore. The St. Tammany County page lists other offices in the parish. Northshore residents fall in Region 9, which also includes Washington, Tangipahoa, Livingston, and St. Helena parishes.

Metro units handle more people than rural ones, so popular services such as immunizations and family planning can book up. Calling a few days ahead is a sensible habit. Ask whether walk-ins are accepted and which days each clinic runs.

Rural Parish Health Units in North and Central Louisiana: Monroe, Jena, Jonesville, and Homer

Outside the metro areas, a parish usually has one main health unit, often with a small staff and a narrower clinic schedule. For many families it is the nearest public clinic for immunizations or WIC. That makes a quick phone call worth the time before you travel.

In the northeast, the Ouachita Parish health department at 1650 Desiard Street in Monroe (318-361-7281) is in the hub city of Region 8. Morehouse Parish Health Unit is at 650 School Street in Bastrop (318-283-0806). Catahoula Parish Health Unit is at 200 3rd Street in Jonesville (318-339-8352), and La Salle Parish Health Unit is at 1673 North 2nd Street in Jena (318-992-4842).

Across the north-central and northwest parishes, you will find Jackson Parish Health Unit at 228 Bond Street in Jonesboro (318-259-6601) and Claiborne Parish Health Unit at 624 West Main Street in Homer (318-927-6127). Bienville Parish Health Unit is at 1285 Pine Street in Arcadia (318-263-2125), and De Soto Parish Health Unit is at 113 Jefferson Street in Mansfield (318-872-0472). The Ruston Health Department is at 405 East Georgia Avenue (318-251-5029), and the Springhill Health Department is at 218 1st St NE (318-539-4314). In Shreveport, the Caddo Parish Health Unit is at 1035 Creswell Avenue (318-676-5222).

Distances matter here. A resident of a small parish may live a long way from the next unit, so confirm that the service exists before you leave. If a unit cannot help, staff can usually tell you which neighboring office can.

Acadiana and the Bayou Parishes: Lafayette, New Iberia, Abbeville, Thibodaux, and Houma

South Louisiana's units sit close to waterways, and flooding or storm damage can change hours quickly. Lafayette Parish Health Unit is at 220 West Willow Street (337-262-5616). Iberia Parish Health Unit Services is at 121 West Pershing Street in New Iberia (337-373-0021), and Vermilion Parish Health Unit is at 2501 Charity Street in Abbeville (337-893-1443).

In the bayou region, the Lafourche Parish Health Unit is at 2535 Veterans Boulevard in Thibodaux (985-447-0921). The Louisiana Health Department office in Houma is at 5593 Louisiana 311 (985-857-3615), and the Morgan City Health Department is at 1200 David Drive (985-380-2441). Thibodaux, Houma, and Morgan City all sit in Region 3, so regional programs are shared across them.

What to Bring and Which Services to Ask About at a Louisiana Health Unit

Services vary by site, but parish health units commonly offer the following. Confirm each one by phone, because staffing differs between offices.

Bring a government-issued photo ID, your insurance or Medicaid card, and any immunization records. For WIC, ask what proof of income and residency the clinic requires, since rules depend on household size. If cost is a concern, ask about reduced or no-cost options, because eligibility depends on the program.

Finally, ask about hours and walk-in policy when you call. Some units reserve certain days for specific clinics, such as WIC or family planning, and a trip on the wrong day can cost you a morning. Dialing 211 can also connect you to local health and social service referrals.

The health department network in Louisiana consists of the state health agency and a system of county and city health departments that together deliver public health programs, disease surveillance, and preventive services to residents statewide.

Health Departments locations are available in 70 cities across Louisiana. They are spread across 61 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Thibodaux, which operate full-service health departments providing comprehensive clinical and environmental health services to large urban populations.

Residents of Louisiana can access their local health department for vaccinations, vital records, food inspection reports, and communicable disease information. Many services are available by appointment, and some are walk-in friendly.

Health Departments by Counties

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Residents of Louisiana can order certified birth and death certificates, check restaurant inspection scores, and access free or low-cost vaccination services through their local health department. Most departments offer online appointment scheduling for clinical services.

Browse Health Departments by county across Louisiana to find the nearest location.

Using Louisiana Health Offices Before, During, and After Hurricane Season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and it affects public health offices in ways few other states experience. Storms can close units, redirect staff to shelters, and shift vaccine and clinic schedules. Before any trip in late summer or fall, call the unit directly or check the Louisiana Department of Health website for closures.

Residents with medical needs should register early for evacuation help through their local emergency preparedness office, rather than waiting for a storm warning. Keep a copy of your immunization record and medication list in a waterproof bag. After a storm, health units may offer tetanus shots, boil-water guidance, and food safety advice, depending on staffing and conditions.

Outside storm season, the best habit is to treat your parish health unit as a first call. Staff can tell you what they do on site, refer you to a regional office, or point you to a private provider when the service is outside their scope. Write down the answer, along with the name of the person who gave it.

Medicaid is also run through LDH under the Healthy Louisiana name. Health unit staff can often point you to the right application channel, even when they do not process the application themselves. If you are choosing between a metro unit and a rural one, favor the closest office that confirms your service by phone. A shorter drive with a confirmed appointment beats a longer drive to a bigger building.

Parish health units in Louisiana are part of the state system, not local government. The Office of Public Health, inside the Louisiana Department of Health, employs the staff and sets clinic policies. Parishes do not run their own health departments the way counties do in many other states. A few cities, including New Orleans, have separate city health agencies with different roles. When you search, look for the words parish health unit, and use the phone numbers in our listings to confirm which agency answers. A state office in one parish can often tell you how to reach another.

Start with the sanitarian staff at your parish health unit or the regional office for your area. Food service, drinking water, and onsite sewage fall under the Louisiana Sanitary Code, which the Office of Public Health administers. In Southwest Louisiana, the Southwest Regional Office Of Public Health in Lake Charles can be reached at 337-475-3200. In Central Louisiana, try the Alexandria regional office at 318-487-5262. Ask for environmental health, describe your situation, and request the name of the person handling it. Business permit questions may also involve local government, so ask for referrals.

Jefferson Parish has two health units in our listings. The East Bank Health Unit at 111 North Causeway Boulevard in Metairie answers at 504-838-5100. The West Bank Health Unit at 1855 Ames Boulevard in Marrero answers at 504-349-8802. Call the one nearest you and ask which vaccines are in stock, whether you need an appointment, and what to bring. Children who qualify may receive vaccines through the Vaccines for Children program, and adults should ask about cost. Bring any immunization record you have, since staff can also check the state immunization registry for past doses.

Small parishes usually have one main unit. Catahoula Parish Health Unit is at 200 3rd Street in Jonesville, phone 318-339-8352, and the Ouachita Parish office is at 1650 Desiard Street in Monroe, phone 318-361-7281. You can browse each on the Catahoula County and Ouachita Parish County pages. Call before you go, because small offices may run specific clinics on specific days. If the unit cannot help, ask the staff for the nearest alternative. They usually know which neighboring parish unit offers the service you need.

They can. When a hurricane threatens, units may close early, stay closed for several days, or reopen with limited services. Staff are sometimes reassigned to shelter and recovery work. Before you travel, call the unit, and if no one answers, check the Louisiana Department of Health website or local news. Coastal areas such as Houma, Thibodaux, Morgan City, and Lake Charles are especially exposed. After a storm, ask about replacement vaccine records and any post-disaster services. Keep your own copy of immunization and medical records in a waterproof container, so you do not depend on any single office.

A parish health unit is where residents go for clinic services such as immunizations, WIC, and family planning. A regional office supervises many units across one of the nine Office of Public Health regions and handles administration, disease surveillance, and environmental programs. Examples in our listings are the Capitol Regional Office on Florida Boulevard in Baton Rouge at 225-925-7200 and the Central Regional Office on Coliseum Boulevard in Alexandria at 318-487-5262. If you need an appointment for a shot, call the parish unit. If you have a complaint, an outbreak report, or a question about regional programs, call the regional office.