Newswise — WASHINGTON, DC (May 3, 2018)The Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University has named Greg Nycz as the 2018 Geiger Gibson Program Distinguished Visitor. 

Now in its 15th year, the Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitor Program honors individuals whose life long contributions to community health centers and medically underserved communities have transformed the fields of public health policy and practice. Drawn from across the country, Geiger Gibson Program Distinguished Visitors represent the nation’s most talented health center leaders.

Greg Nycz is the Executive Director of Family Health Center of Marshfield, Inc., a community health center serving rural and low-income patients throughout Northern Wisconsin. For over 45 years, Nycz has spent his career supporting the planning and operations at Family Health Center, providing leadership to an organization with widespread impact in fifteen counties in Wisconsin. Nycz has received numerous honors recognizing his leadership, innovation, and service, including the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the Wisconsin Rural Health Association Rural Health Achievement Award, and admission to the National Association of Community Health Centers Grassroots Advocacy Hall of Fame.

In addition to providing comprehensive medical and behavioral health care, Family Health Center is a crucial source of dental care services throughout the organization’s rural service area. Family Health Center has partnered with the Marshfield Clinic to provide dental care annually to over 58,000 mostly low-income patients throughout Wisconsin. With ten dental clinics throughout the state, Family Health Center provides much needed dental care access for Medicaid beneficiaries and uninsured patients, and has served an invaluable role in reducing oral health disparities for low-income rural populations.

Family Health Center also runs a prepaid sliding-fee program for low-income uninsured or underinsured residents, which helps cover essential services such as doctor visits, x-rays, medications, and substance abuse services.  Currently, Family Health Center is focusing efforts on reducing the shortage of alcohol and other drug abuse and mental health treatment throughout rural Wisconsin, pursuing federal and state grants to foster collaborations with other treatment providers to ensure access to care for individuals and families. 

Nycz received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. He currently serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association, the Wisconsin Oral Health Coalition Steering Committee, the University of Wisconsin Medical School Oversight and Advisory Committee, and the National Association of Community Health Center’s Health Policy and Rural Health Committees. He has served on  Governor’s councils and committees in Wisconsin, and has served as the past chair of the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association and the Wisconsin Area Health Education Center System.

The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy is a special initiative of Milken Institute SPH, which was established to honor Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers in community health practice and tireless advocates for civil and human rights. The Geiger Gibson Program has worked since 2004 to help eliminate medical underservice and disparities in population health through education, training and research projects.