The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed its $40 billion fiscal year 2018 budget Tuesday which allocates $1 million in state funds for a new medical school campus in Springfield, Mass., according to Mass Live.
The medical school is a joint initiative by Springfield-based Baystate Health and the Worcester, Mass.-based University of Massachusetts Medical School.
UMass Medical School spokesperson Mark Shelton said third- and fourth-year students from the medical school will receive their clinical education at the Springfield campus. He said officials opted to establish the joint campus with the hope that "students will pursue residency [opportunities] and [potentially] practice in the … historically underrepresented area."
Baystate Health initially petitioned the state to contribute $3.4 million for the medical school campus, according to the report.
The state senate will unveil its version of the proposed state budget in May, according to the report. Any discrepancies between the two bills will be addressed by a committee of negotiators.
Officials plan to open the Springfield campus in August.