POMEROY — The Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee, will be stopping in Meigs County Wednesday during his 44-county summer tour.

Gee’s visit is not open to the public though he will visit with officials from the Meigs County Health Department and members of the Meigs County Cancer Initiative at the health department. The purpose of the visit is to learn about the role the health department and MCCI play in providing health services in an underserved community.

Meigs County Health Commissioner Larry Marshall will be assisting Gee on a tour of the health department and will meet with the president for a discussion.

“We’ll be talking about how the health department interfaces with the community and what some of those challenges are as well as how OSU interfaces with the community.”

Marshall said he hopes Gee walks away with an appreciation of what a rural health department faces in this community when it comes to challenges and also the support the department receives.

“The fact he’s coming here recognizes something about us so we’re looking forward to sitting down for a few minutes of out his busy schedule to talk with him, welcome him here and see how we can further our relationships,” Gee said.

According to the OSU press office, Gee will be bringing physicians from the OSU medical center for the visit as well.

After visiting Meigs County tomorrow morning, Gee will then travel to Athens to Ohio University to the Voinovich School, The Ridges, Court St. Diner; then it’s on to Hocking College Energy Institute in Logan; the Fairfield County Extension Office in Lancaster; the Student, Family, Community Event, Weldon’s Ice Cream Factory in Millersport.

Gee’s office has said he has made a commitment to tour the state in the summer months to talk with prospective students and alumni and see first-hand some of the university’s partnerships. As the state’s land grant university, the university provides outreach to every county in the state to help address issues that impact the citizens of Ohio.

In Meigs County, the working relationship with OSU includes:

• Support of the Appalachia Community Cancer Network (ACCN) to address cancer health disparities in Appalachia, including a local community-based coalition (Meigs County Cancer Initiative, Inc.) to conduct community education and screening programs.

• Member of the Appalachia Ohio Community Advisory Board (AOCAB), which provides guidance for OSU Researchers conducting studies in Appalachia Ohio including the Community Awareness Resources and Education (CARE) project to address cervical cancer in Appalachia Ohio and CBPR Strategies to Reduce Colorectal Cancer in Appalachia (R24 Project).

• OSU/ The James Mobile Mammography Unit provides mammograms for women at the health department four times/each year & four times/year in remote areas of the county.

• Projects with OSU Extension to conduct health programs including Dining with Diabetes.