Knox County Health Department

What Knox County Health Department does

Knox County Health Department (KCHD) is a county government public health agency headquartered at 1361 W Fremont Street, Galesburg, Illinois, created by citizen referendum in November 1992. It operates a dual structure: a Public Health division delivering environmental health, immunizations, disease surveillance, WIC nutrition support, emergency preparedness, and lead poisoning prevention, and a wholly-owned subsidiary, the Knox Community Health Center (KCHC), which has operated as a Federally Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC) under HRSA Section 330 since June 2012. KCHC provides integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health services, including telehealth, with sliding-fee-scale pricing as low as $1–$20 per visit and 340b Drug Program pharmacy access through Galesburg Walgreens.

The organization serves Knox County, Illinois — a federally designated Healthcare Provider Shortage Area for primary care, dental, and mental health — with extended reach into Warren and Henderson Counties via the IBCCP cancer-screening program. Patient segments are predominantly low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents, supplemented by WIC participants, DCFS-custody children, and Medicaid/Medicare beneficiaries. Funding is concentrated in federal HRSA Section 330 grants, Illinois Department of Public Health appropriations, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements, and patient sliding-fee payments. KCHD is governed by a 9-member Board of Health and a separate FQHC Governance Board with 51%+ patient representation, employs approximately 50 staff, and reports a 2026 budget of $6.92M, down from $10.7M in 2023 following the wind-down of ARPA-era capital inflows.

The technology footprint is conventional healthcare IT: a third-party patient portal for scheduling and messaging, online enrollment forms, and standard telehealth video delivery. There is no proprietary platform, public API, or developer ecosystem. Strategic priorities evident in 2022–2026 include ADA accessibility upgrades, telehealth expansion, new universal lead testing, and a multi-year fee-ordinance restructuring effective 2027 to better align permit and service fees with cost of delivery.

Name

Knox County Health Department

Legal name

Knox County Health Department

Website

https://knoxcountyhealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Knox County Health Department is a county government public health agency in Galesburg, Illinois, operating the Knox Community Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center delivering medical, dental, behavioral health, and environmental health services to low-income and underserved Knox County residents on a sliding-fee scale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Services

NAICS

Ambulatory Health Care Services (621), Other Outpatient Care Centers (62149)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

County/District/Local Health Departments (HLAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Health Centers (FQHCs & Look-Alikes) (HLAFAGAB)

Keywords

• Public health services
• Community health center
• Primary medical care
• Maternal and child health
• Environmental health inspections

Headquarters

HQ city

Galesburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal and State Government Funding: Primary funding from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. Additional state funding through Illinois Department of Public Health programs including IPLAN mandates.
2. Patient Services Revenue: Revenue from insurance payments (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance) and sliding scale patient fees. Services provided regardless of ability to pay through discounted Sliding Fee Scale program.
3. 340b Prescription Drug Program: Pharmacy services through 340b Drug Program allowing eligible patients to receive prescriptions at partner pharmacies with discounted pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Knox County Health Department operates as a county government public health agency in Galesburg, Illinois, delivering traditional public health programs (immunizations, WIC, disease prevention, environmental health) through its Public Health Division and operating the Knox Community Health Center (KCHC), a Federally Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC) that provides primary medical, dental, and behavioral health services on a sliding fee scale. Services are available regardless of ability to pay and are funded primarily through federal HRSA grants under Section 330, state public health funding, insurance reimbursements, and patient fees.

Product overview

Knox County Health Department operates as a dual-entity organization comprising the Public Health Department and the Knox Community Health Center (KCHC), a Federally Qualified Community Health Center. The Public Health Division provides environmental health, disease prevention, and maternal/child health services. KCHC serves as the primary care arm offering integrated Medical, Dental, and Behavioral Health services alongside pharmacy (340b), health insurance enrollment, and telehealth capabilities. Services are delivered through various programs including WIC, IBCCP, Immunizations, STI/HIV testing, and Environmental Health inspections. The organization serves Knox County, Illinois with a sliding fee scale for uninsured and underinsured patients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Knox Community Health Center (KCHC) A Federally Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC) providing comprehensive primary medical, dental, and behavioral health services on a sliding fee scale, governed by a client-driven Governance Board with majority patient representation, serving Knox County regardless of ability to pay.
• WIC and Breastfeeding Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Provides healthcare to underserved populations in designated HPSA area
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered founding, minor and core.

• Galesburg Cottage HospitalfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Original founding sponsor of the Knox County Community Health Clinic (predecessor to KCHC). Provided volunteer physicians and nurses to provide initial services when the clinic was created in 1999.
• Galesburg Clinic P.C.foundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Original founding sponsor of the Knox County Community Health Clinic (predecessor to KCHC). Provided volunteer physicians and nurses to provide initial services when the clinic was created in 1999.
• OSF St Mary Medical CenterfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Original founding sponsor of the Knox County Community Health Clinic (predecessor to KCHC). Provided volunteer physicians and nurses to provide initial services when the clinic was created in 1999.
• Knox County Health DepartmentfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999KCHD and its Board of Health initiated and led the process to secure federal funding for the community health center, creating the Knox County Community Health Clinic in 1999.
• Walgreens (Galesburg)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner pharmacy for the 340b Prescription Drug Program. Eligible patients can have prescriptions filled at Galesburg Walgreens Pharmacies.
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for HealthWorks of Illinois program providing medical case management for children in DCFS protective custody.
• Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for YouthCare/Health Choice Illinois program and Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program treatment coverage.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC): National membership and advocacy organization representing FQHCs and safety-net providers—relevant as the industry association for FQHCs like KCHC and as the lobbying/policy arm that protects Section 330 funding.
• Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA): State-level membership association for Illinois FQHCs and community health centers—provides training, advocacy, and operational support that directly benefits KCHC and its peers.
• HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration): Federal agency within HHS that administers Section 330 FQHC funding and Health Center Program oversight—central counterparty and regulator for KCHC's core federal funding relationship.

Broad incumbents

• Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness: Large multi-site FQHC network serving Chicago area and statewide Illinois with integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health—larger FQHC incumbent operating a similar care model but at greater scale and geographic reach.
• Erie Family Health Centers: Large FQHC network in Chicago providing primary care, dental, and behavioral health with sliding fee scale—established FQHC incumbent offering comparable services to underserved communities but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Champaign-Urbana Public Health District: Local public health district serving Champaign County, Illinois with WIC, immunizations, environmental health, and clinical services—comparable local public health agency with similar service portfolio.
• McLean County Health Department: County health department in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois providing public health programs and clinical services—comparable county government public health structure with similar service mix and funding model.
• Peoria City/County Health Department: Local public health department serving Peoria County, Illinois, providing clinical services, environmental health, and WIC programs—directly comparable county-level public health agency operating in the same region.
• Heartland Health Services: Federally Qualified Health Center serving Peoria and surrounding counties in Illinois with medical, dental, and behavioral health services on a sliding fee scale—directly comparable FQHC model serving similar underserved populations in central Illinois.

Regional players

• Community Health Care, Inc. (Iowa): Multi-site FQHC serving the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois with primary care, dental, and behavioral health—comparable FQHC operating in adjacent rural Midwestern geography with similar service mix and patient population.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kchd92
• Facebookfacebook.com/KnoxCountyHealthIL
• Instagraminstagram.com/knoxcountyhealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knox-county-public-health-department

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knox County Health Department