ECO Center opens with the goal to provide community with education and wellness

ST. CLAIRSVILLE - The East Central Ohio Educational Service Center is officially open for business.

Located at Ohio University Eastern's campus, the center is the result of a major transformation of the former Health and Physical Education Center at Ohio University Eastern. Acquired by East Central Ohio Educational Service Center, the facility has been reimagined as a regional destination for education, wellness, events, and community engagement.

On Tuesday morning the center hosted its ribbon cutting ceremony through the St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce despite being partially opened for over a year.

Renovations began in the summer of 2025 and have created a multi-purpose space designed to serve residents, students, organizations, and businesses throughout East Central Ohio.

The project was made possible through the Appalachian Children's Health Initiative which was a $64 million investment by Governor Mike DeWine and the State of Ohio to improve access to healthcare throughout Appalachian Ohio

The ECO Educational Service Center received $3 million to develop the student-centered health center. The project was supported through funding from the Ohio Department of Development's Appalachian Community Grant Program, helping expand access to affordable healthcare services close to home and improving the well-being of families across the region.

Additional renovations include a redesigned lobby and reception area, the new ECO Café serving Starbucks coffee, and Hall of Fame Café West, which provides concessions during events and catering services. The facility also includes office space for the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Executive Director, fitness and wellness services through Edwards Absolute Kinetics, and additional leasable space to support future community partnerships and growth.

ECOESC Superintendent Randy Lucas said that the healthcare facility opened in May with a slow start and continued to gradually get staff in place and started with a few clients but is now 100% open.

He added that the center has two health clinics, which are a primary care physician and a dental services through the center’s partner Ohio Hills Health Centers.

"They do accept Medicaid, so that was the big draw of our partnering with them. Then, of course, we have all of the other services as far as being able to use the gymnasium," Lucas said. "We have the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference housed out of here, we host many of their events and activities and tournaments for student athletes. We partner with Edwards Absolute Kinetics, which is the physical therapist in the area as well."

He added that the center's goal is to continue to be able to use the facility for the school districts whenever needed for various events such as welcome back activities, graduations, gymnasium space, and anything that helps serve the community.

"Going back to the clinic and the dental services, a lot of our students and families struggled finding providers that accept Medicaid. So oftentimes, if they need dental services or primary care physician services, they would have to go to maybe Zanesville, Columbus, or Cleveland and be out for an entire day which doesn’t help with chronic absenteeism," Lucas said. "It doesn’t help our students, of course, if the area’s not meeting their medical needs and they're not going to do well in the classroom."

Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik said she is incredibly happy to be at the grand opening of the ECO Center because she understands the importance of having access to healthcare.

"I’m a mother of three, so I know that there’s nothing that can derail a morning faster than when you find out that one of your children is sick, and it certainly can take the day in a completely different direction depending upon how sick they are," Mihalik said. "I know how difficult it is to be able to get your child into their primary care provider on a moment’s notice, and so I feel like having a place like this that is rooted in the community, that is open access to anyone not just students, but to the people in the community is going to be a vital enhancement for for Belmont County."

She added that, for far too long, many of the services that people in rural communities need simply weren’t available or close to home which leads to parents taking time off of work and students are missing class.

"What we know is that when healthcare is nearby, students spend more time in the classroom, parents spend less time away from work, and families are more likely to receive preventative care before those little issues become really big problems," Mihalik said. "It’s better for families, better for schools, and it’s better for the long-term health of the overall community."

ECOSEC Board President Ron Busby said that the ECO center was a collaborative project through ECOSEC and the state.

"Our entity applied for a grant, through the Appalachian Foundation and it was just an idea. We had purchased this facility with a vision and trying to find ways to make it happen, and a lot of most of that vision was from [ECOSEC treasure] Matt King and Randy Lucas who saw what this place could become, and how it could impact the the community here in Belmont County," Busby said. "There were a lot of obstacles along the way, and they pushed through all of those and didn’t lose faith and kept working and finding a way to get this project to where we are today. It was just a fantastic moment to see everything that’s been accomplished, with all the hours and the hard work that’s gone into this dream."