At the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Friday, officials with CoxHealth, Mercy Springfield Communities and the University of Missouri School of Medicine laid out the economic impact of a proposed clinical campus in Springfield.
The clinical campus program is expected to add more than $390 million to the state's economy and create 3,500 jobs, according to a news release from the university. The release cited a
recently completed study by the Springfield-Greene County Regional Health Commission, which states that the full economic impact of the clinical campus program would be realized after about 27 years. According to the study, the financial impact comprises the new educational program, student spending and additional physicians in the state.
Through the program, about 30 third- and fourth-year University of Missouri medical students per year would complete their clinical rotations at CoxHealth and Mercy Hospital Springfield. Since 2005, more than 85 MU medical students have received training in southwest Missouri through the school's rural track program.
"CoxHealth, Mercy and MU share a history of advancing medical education and a strong commitment to improving health in the communities we serve," said Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, in the release. "Developing a clinical campus in Springfield would allow us to better serve patients, improve access to excellent medical education and enhance the overall quality of life in our communities."
In each of the past two years, the University of Missouri School of Medicine received more than 1,500 applications, but it currently only has the capacity to accept 96 students annually. The clinical campus in Springfield would increase that number to 128.
"Hundreds of well-qualified medical school applicants, including students from southwest Missouri, go to other states to study and practice medicine due to a lack of access to medical education in our state," said Jon Swope, president and CEO of Mercy Springfield Communities, in the release. "The clinical campus will help keep students and physicians in Missouri, which will improve health care, education and the economy."
Though the clinical campus program calls for construction of a roughly $30 million medical education building in Columbia and additional annual operating funding of approximately $10 million, no physical campus would be built in Springfield. According to Rich Gleba, communications director for the University of Missouri School of Medicine, there is no timeline for funding or construction, but the partners hope to develop the clinical campus program as soon as funding is secured through the government, fundraising and other resources.[[In-content Ad]]
