The Institute of Medicine defines public health as:
“A coordinated effort at the local, state, and federal levels whose mission is fulfilling society’s interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy.”
The Meigs County Health Department works to create a healthy environment for Meigs County residents through its many programs and grants, which address issues such as sanitation, nutrition, immunization, chronic diseases and childhood obesity. With the ever-changing face of public health, we strive to address the needs of the rural community in which we serve.
For Information on Public Health Nursing Visit our PHN Page Here!
Is your baby sleeping safely? The CFHS Program conducts a community education campaign to promote infant safe sleep practices among families, caregivers, and other agencies. Watch this short video below to learn more.
Need a safe place to put your baby to sleep? The Meigs County Health Department is dedicated to keeping sleeping babies safe. If you cannot afford a crib or Pack ‘N Play where you can put your baby Alone, on their Back, in their Crib, contact us at 740-992-6626 to check your eligibility for assistance or if you have questions about making sure your baby is sleeping safely.
Learn more at:
This grant program, which receives funding from the Ohio Department of Health, provides support to offer public health services for maternal and child health populations of Meigs County. The program’s goals and activities change every few years to align with Ohio’s most recent State Health Improvement Plan priorities for this specific population. Program initiatives over the past several years have included activities such as youth nutrition education in the schools, support of weekend food backpack programs, workplace health screenings for women of preconception age, various health assessments, and youth vaping prevention education. For more information about this program, please contact the MCHP Director Juli Simpson at juli.simpson@meigs-health.com or 740-992-6626.
CMH, the program for Children with Medical Handicaps, previously known as ‘BCMH’ is a health care program funded in part by the Ohio Department of Health. CMH Public Health Nurses (PHN) link families of children with special health care needs to a network of quality providers and help families obtain payment for the services their child needs.
Many families do not think their child’s medical condition qualifies for CMH. The Children with Medical Handicaps program includes a lot of common disorders such as:
Hearing Loss, Hemophilia, Juvenile Arthritis, Metabolic Disorders, Scoliosis, Severe Vision Disorders, Sickle Cell Disease, Spina Bifida, AIDS, Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic lung disease, Cleft lip/Palate, Congenital Heart disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, and many more.
Those who are:
• Age 0-22; come July 1, 2022, the age range will increase to age 23
• Permanent residents of Ohio
• Under the care of a CMH-approved doctor (M.D. or D.O.) and who have or may have a chronic medical condition.
CMH has three programs to help children with special health care needs. All service must be given by CMH approved providers.
Children can receive services for up to six months, from CMH-approved providers, to rule out or diagnose a special health care need or establish a plan of treatment. These services may include:
• Tests and X-rays
• Visits to CMH-approved doctors
• Up to five days in the hospital
• Public health nursing services
• Therapy evaluations
Financial eligibility is not required for the Diagnostic Program.
Children are evaluated and approved yearly by a managing CMH physician. Both medical and financial eligibility are required for the Treatment Program. Treatment services may include:
• Laboratory tests and X-rays
• Physicians visits
• Prescription medications
• Therapies
• Medical equipment and supplies
• Surgeries and hospitalizations
• Service coordination
• Public health nurse services
All services must be related to the child’s eligible condition. If the child remains eligible, services may be renewed each year until the child reaches age 21.
Service Coordination Service Coordination helps families locate and coordinate services for their child. This is a limited program available to children, with specific conditions, who are seen by a team of providers at hospitals approved by CMH for service coordination.
The child’s CMH-approved doctor (M.D. or D.O.) sends a Medical Application Form to CMH. Public health nurses can start the application process by referring families to CMH-approved doctors. The parent or legal guardian (or client, if 18 years of age or older) must sign the release of information and consent on the application form before BCMH can act on the application.
Contact your local CMH Public Health Nurse:
Angie Rosler RN – Phone: (740) 992-6626 ext: 1075 email: angella.rosler@meigs-health.com
Please visit the Ohio Department of Health website for forms and contact Angie Rosler RN for local providers!
Creating Healthy Communities (CHC) is committed to preventing and reducing chronic disease statewide. Through cross-sector collaboration, we are activating communities to improve access to and affordability of healthy food, increase opportunities for physical activity, and assure tobacco-free living where Ohioans live, work and play. By implementing sustainable evidence-based strategies, CHC is creating a culture of health.
Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice
Funded by the Ohio Department of Health’s Bureau of Healthy Ohio, the Meigs County Health Department offers the Creating Healthy Communities program, which is focused on the prevention of chronic diseases among Meigs County residents. The program is designed to help local communities to develop and implement strategies that can help prevent or manage health-risk factors for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and obesity. This is accomplished by focusing on three core areas: TOBACCO, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY and NUTRITION. For more information, contact Creating Healthy Communities Coordinator Rebecca Zuspan at 740-992-6626 x 1031.
As the popularity and necessity of walking and biking increase, information is sought to assess the current conditions of walk and biking in Meigs County. The Meigs County Health Department’s Creating Healthy Communities Program announces the launch of the Meigs County Active Transportation Wikimap. Wikimapping is an interactive, online data collection system where residents can plot walking and biking routes throughout the County. The information collected will be used to guide planning for safety and education campaigns, as well as, potential infrastructure improvement projects.
For questions about the Wikimap or Active Transportation Project please contact Michael Davis, Meigs County Health Department’s Creating Healthy Communities Project Director at (740) 992-6626 or michael.davis@meigs-health.com.
Recommended Schedule for Routine Childhood Immunizations:
Every child must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian. No immunization will be given without their signed or written consent. Please bring the child(ren)’s medical card, insurance card (if applicable) and their shot record to the clinic! Donations of $30 are appreciated but not required for administration.
The Meigs County Health Department uses VaxCare to supply vaccines for adults and children aged birth through 18 who have commercial insurance coverage. We cannot currently afford to purchase vaccine that is not supplied by the Ohio Department of Health (which is only for children aged birth through 18 years with Medicaid and who meet various other criteria determined by the federal/state government). For VaxCare, an insurance card is necessary plus the card’s co-pay.
Flu Shots: Billed to appropriate coverage.
*For Private Pay Clients, a Vaccine Administration Fee of $30* is assessed to each vaccine. *Fees are subject to change without notice. At NO CHARGE ODH State 317 Doses:
The Meigs County Health Department hosts the OSU Mobile Mammography unit four times per year.
Screening mammograms are provided for:
Commercial insurance and Medicaid is accepted. Funding is available for un/underinsured, income eligible ladies. For ladies who self-pay, the cost is $135 on the day of service. Contact Courtney Midkiff at 740-992-6626 to schedule an appointment.
Smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States and more than 6 million deaths worldwide. That’s more than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, and firearm incidents combined. More than 10 times as many US citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all of the wars fought in the United States during its history. On average smokers die 10 years earlier than non-smokers.
Smoking increases the risk of all types of cancers, heart disease, and respiratory disease. It also can make it difficult for a woman to become pregnant, and can decrease a man’s sperm count. In infants of mothers who smoke during pregnancy, it can cause low birth weight, premature birth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), ectopic pregnancy, orofacial cleft, and miscarriage.
It causes decreased bone density in women. Smoking causes tooth loss, and cataracts, and is a cause of type ll diabetes. Smoking affects every part of the body, decreases your immune system, and causes rheumatoid arthritis.
Quitting smoking cuts your cardiovascular risks. After just one year of not smoking, your risk of a heart attack is cut dramatically. After 2 to 5 years, your risk of stroke could fall to about that of a nonsmoker. If you quit smoking, your risks for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder is cut in half after 5 years. Ten years after you quit smoking, your risk of lung cancer is cut in half.
You can see that smoking has many negative effects on your health, in turn; quitting smoking has just as many positive effects on your health. If you are thinking about quitting but just feel that you can’t do it alone, call The Ohio Tobacco Quit Line (click here for link) at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669. Callers to the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line are five times more likely to successfully quit smoking than people who quit cold turkey.
Funded by the Ohio Department of Health’s Division of Family and Community Health Services, Bureau of Nutrition Services, the Meigs County Health Department offers the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which is an income-based nutrition education program for infants, children under 5 years, pregnant women, women who have recently had a baby and women who are breastfeeding.
The program offers nutritious, supplemental foods, such as milk, eggs, cereal, juice, whole grains and fruits and vegetables. To qualify, participants must be an Ohio resident, meet income guidelines and have a health or nutritional risk.
For an appointment or more information, please call the WIC Office at 740-992-0392 weekdays between 8 AM and 4 PM.
Monday- Friday
8:00AM – 4:00PM
Contact Us
Meigs County Ohio Health Department
112 E Memorial Drive Suite A Pomeroy, OH 45769
Email: courtney.midkiff@meigs-health.com
Phone: 740-992-6626
Fax: 740-992-0836
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