Gilmer County Health Department - Ellijay (GA)

1 /5 Lonnie Teal: I am a 7th generation Gilmer county resident, I retired with 32 years from the US Army. I will never return to the health department for any reason. As a single father of a middle school student I had to get my daughter her required vaccinations. Her doctor couldnt provide them and sent me to the health department. At the health department I was told they did not take retired military insurance and asked me to leave. I explained that I had no other options but to get shots there. I was again asked to leave. Finally someone came out of the back and offered to do the shots for cash. 350 dollars to get shots from a government funded agency that refuses to accept government provided insurance. Never ever again.

1 /5 Lani Jordan: Tried to get pregnancy test done so I could have proof for my medicaid application. Called and was told that no appointment was needed, but that they recommended showing up at 7:30 when they opened. We showed up at 7:30 and was told I needed an appointment and to bring my birth certificate. So we made an 8am appointment. On the appointment day, I get a call at 7:50am stating that they have to reschedule me. I reschedule for the next day at 8am. We show up and they are closed “due to the weather.” It was literally just rain! They then tried to call me at 10am but I was at work. I’m done trying. Apparently it’s extremely difficult to collect pee in a cup.

5 /5 Jessyca Hanna: The dentists there are absolutely amazing. They make sure my daughter feels comfortable and keep a positive atmosphere. Definitely recommend if you cant drive all the way to Kennesaw for a child-friendly dentist. They are booked months in advance, but they are worth the visit.

4 /5 Sri Narra: If traveling overseas, this is a good place to get vaccines recommended by CDC. Competent staff. Cost wise: - Most insurance plans wouldnt cover them. Be prepared to pay for them out of pocket. The health department will give you a price for the vaccine. Add about $60 on top, per visit, for consult/giving shot/s. To avoid surprises, clarify on the "Total" cost before visit. Tip 1: - Plan ahead. Vaccines have a lead time before protection fully kicks in (eg. 2 weeks). You want them to be effective before you leave (so get the vaccine 2 weeks ahead of the departure date). Tip 2: - Have the nurse call in any extra medications to your pharmacy during consultation. (eg: travelers diarrhea pills, malaria pills, etc - that are good to carry when traveling overseas). This way you get most out of the visit. (You can decide to buy or not later, at least the prescription will be at your pharmacy). Safe travels.

2 /5 Cheryl Carson: I took my daughter for travel vaccines because she was going on a mission trip to Kenya. The positive first. The nurse was extremely nice and seemed knowledgeable. She was patient while we asked our questions and didnt push us to get one of the vaccines we didnt want and wasnt recommended by the CDC. When we checked out, that lady also was nice, but, evidently didnt know what she was doing. She said she wasnt charging us for one of the two vaccines and I thanked her. We paid $138, and the receipt said there was no balance (all charges were listed). They did file my insurance, even though I told them they were out of network. Here, two months later, we get a bill for $214 more. They hadnt even posted the contractual adjustment on one (they were a "standard", not "preferred" provider, so there was a small adjustment). When I spoke with the supervisor Monica, she was cold and adversarial. She even said they dont honor the insurance contractuals. She finally said she would call their third party biller to see about it and call me back in a couple of days. Well see if she does. I already spoke with the insurance company, and they confirmed they have to write off the contractual. I do not recommend Gilmer County Health Dept.