By GARY DEMUTH

Salina Journal

ABILENE -- After being without a full-time general surgeon for more than a year, Memorial Health System has hired Dr. Marcus L. Gann Jr.

Gann will replace Dr. Vic Narciso, a general surgeon in private practice who retired in the spring of 2007.

Gann's clinical office, Heartland Surgery, will be located at the Memorial Health System building, 201 N.W. 15th. The building houses several medical specialty and health care facilities, said Ann Brussow, director of marketing and communications for Memorial Health System.

"Dr. Gann was hired by Memorial Health System to serve the Abilene community as well as the Dickinson County area," she said.

A grand opening reception for Gann and his staff will be from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. July 24 at the Heartland Surgery office. Tours will be given of the surgical facility and refreshments will be served.

At his clinic, Gann will do pre-surgery consultations and examinations, as well as post-surgery follow-ups, Brussow said. All surgical procedures will be done by Gann at Memorial Hospital in Abilene.

Gann was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in Savannah, Ga. He attended the University of Texas, where he played football and received a biology degree. His general surgical internship and residency was done at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore from 2001 to 2007.

He also served on medical mission trips to Columbia for two years through the Hands Across the Americas program.

Brussow said the community has been waiting a long time for a permanent surgeon to replace Narciso.

"When we were without a surgeon, people had to go to Salina, Junction City or Manhattan to have surgery," Brussow said, "so having a new surgeon living here is very important to us."

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at g demuth@salina.com.