The Nursing Division operates a Clinic that is open to clients Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM.

The Clinic is staffed with a Nurse Practitioner, Nurses, and a Receptionist. Appointments are available, and walk-in clients are accepted. The clinic offers extended hours, by appointment only for clients who cannot come during regular business hours.”.

There is a strong emphasis on providing care to low income and indigent clients, although clients of all socio-economic groups are accepted. The Clinic accepts a large variety of medical insurance plans.

Clients who are uninsured are offered services on a sliding fee scale, based on annual income.

Clients who are not enrolled in an insurance program are offered assistance by the Certified Application Counselor (CAC) on staff, with enrollment into a Medicaid managed care program or a market-place insurance program offered through the Affordable Care Act.

The Health Department operates the Children with Medical Handicaps Program (CMH) through a grant from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). CMH links families of children with special health care needs to a network of quality providers and helps families obtain payment for the services their children need. CMH promotes early identification of children with handicapping conditions and treatment of those children by appropriate health care providers.

Major components of the program include: conducting quality assurance activities to establish standards of care and to determine unmet needs of children with handicaps and their families; funding services for the diagnosis and treatment of medically eligible conditions; collaborating with public health nurses and local health departments to assist in increasing access to care; supporting service coordination for children with selected diagnoses; and assisting families to access and utilize appropriate sources of payment for services for their child.

Home visits are made by the Public Health Nurse (PHN)to help families coordinate services. The PHN works with other agencies to make sure the child’s needs are met and keeps in touch with families with letters and phone calls. The PHN coordinates and staffs specialty clinics and informs families and care providers about CMH and the Medical Home Concept.

Through the development and support of high quality, coordinated systems, children with special health care needs and their families obtain comprehensive care and services that are family centered, community based and culturally sensitive.

Phone: 740-354-8922 or Email: christine.thomas@portsmouthoh.org

There is a strong emphasis on providing care to low income and indigent clients, although clients of all socio-economic groups are accepted. The Clinic accepts a large variety of medical insurance plans.

Clients who are uninsured are offered services on a sliding fee scale, based on annual income.

Clients who are not enrolled in an insurance program are offered assistance by the Certified Application Counselor (CAC) on staff, with enrollment into a Medicaid managed care program or a market-place insurance program offered through the Affordable Care Act.

The Ohio Buckles Buckeyes Program is a child passenger safety program of the state of Ohio that provides child safety seats and booster seats to low income families in Ohio.

The goals of the program are to reduce the number of child traffic deaths, to increase the availability of child safety seats, to increase the use of child safety seats, and to increase the proper installation and use of seat belts.

Those who are permanent residents of Ohio who have children that require a car seat are eligible.

The families must meet WIC income guidelines but they do not need to be enrolled in the WIC program.

Prior to receipt of a child safety seat, families must attend a class provided by trained Child Passenger Safety staff.  https://portsmouthcityhealth.org/public-health-nursing-services/