Our History

Charlotte County was originally part of a three-county health department based in Hardee County. The dedication of the Punta Gorda and Englewood site was October 11, 1969. The 10,030-square-foot building in Punta Gorda cost $500,000. The 1,800-square-foot building known as the Englewood Health Center cost $35,000. Initial public health services provided were environmental health programs, communicable disease investigation and treatment, including food-borne illness, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis surveillance and treatment, and childhood immunizations. Added later were maternal and child health programs as well as family planning.

In 1988, the health department collaborated with St. Joseph Hospital to establish a clinic site on the grounds of St. Joseph Hospital in Port Charlotte. It was here that the first Primary Care, Prenatal, and WIC (Women Infant and Children food supplement program) clinics were established. WIC services had previously been provided by Lee and DeSoto Counties. Eventually, these services were extended to both Englewood and Punta Gorda clinics.

In 1990, Environmental Health moved to the then new county administration building at Murdock Circle. The Englewood clinic relocated and joined other county services in the new county administration building on San Casa Road.

Expansion to improve services continued. In 1995, WIC moved to a trailer at Meadow Park Elementary School. The Port Charlotte clinic and Vital Statistics Department relocated to the corner of Peachland and Forrest Nelson boulevards in 1998. Primary care services were increased from one day a week to five days a week, becoming the busiest location for medical services in Charlotte County in 2003. The Office of Healthy Lifestyles, then known as the Education Department, was housed at county courthouse before relocating to offices at the Sheriff training facility at Airport Road.

On August 13, 2004, four health department sites were destroyed by a direct hit from Hurricane Charley. Two buildings remained intact: the Englewood clinic and Environmental Public Health in Murdock. Trailers served as temporary accommodations in Punta Gorda. WIC moved temporarily in with Environmental Public Health while the Port Charlotte clinic merged with the Punta Gorda and Englewood sites until premises at the Promenades Mall in Port Charlotte were leased in December of 2005.

Administration staff moved to a facility on Taylor Road and Environmental Public Health saw major renovations and upgrades in 2006.

The Englewood location on San Casa Road renovated due to hurricane-damaged and was reopened in 2007. WIC relocated to the Punta Gorda clinic in October 2007.

In January 2008, the Port Charlotte clinic moved to a larger facility on Kings Highway, which included the grand opening of a pediatric clinic, bringing to a close the recovery phase from Hurricane Charley to a close.

The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County (DOH-Charlotte) has been offering services at its Main Office on Loveland Boulevard since 2010. For a full list of DOH-Charlotte facilities, visit our locations page.