1619 North Main St, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 Mon–Fri, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (573) 785-8478
Butler County Health Department, Missouri
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HomeAbout BCHD

About the department

About Butler County Health Department

Created by a vote of Butler County residents in 1948, funded by county property tax, and accredited by the Missouri Institute for Community Health.

Read the 2025 Community Health AssessmentContact the administrator
photo: 1619 N Main exterior or archival 1948 image

How we got here

In 1948, Butler County residents voted to establish a property tax to fund public health work. That vote created this department and still funds it today. It is why services here are answerable to county residents rather than to a hospital system or an insurer.

What we do

Public health work is broader than a clinic. The department runs clinical services, keeps the county’s vital records, inspects the places you eat and sleep, permits septic systems, investigates disease outbreaks, and plans for emergencies.

Prevent illness before it spreads

Promote longer, healthier lives

Protect the health of everyone in the county

Accreditation

Butler County Health Department is accredited by the Missouri Institute for Community Health. Accreditation means an outside body has reviewed how the department is governed, how it uses data, and how it delivers services, and found them to meet a published standard.

Planning documents

The assessment measures what is actually making people in Butler County sick. The plan says what the department intends to do about it.

2025 Community Health Assessment

What is making Butler County sick, measured.

2025 Community Health Improvement Plan

What the department intends to do about it.

Strategic Plan

How the department organizes the work.

Annual reports by year

Health services, environmental health, and vital records.

Equal opportunity

Butler County Health Department is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Services are provided on a non-discriminatory basis.