Kansas City, Mo.-based Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences has started the construction for its new campus in Joplin, Mo., according to The Joplin Globe.
Together with Joplin Mayor Mike Seibert, officials from the medical school broke ground on the new campus March 30. The campus, which is expected to be completed by April 2017, is located on the site of Mercy Hospital Joplin, which temporarily served the city after a tornado in 2011 and is now closed, according to The Kansas City Star.
The medical school has garnered contributions from a variety of organizations, including the Joplin Regional Medical School Alliance, which has donated a total of almost $30 million. Mayor Seibert said the campus will create approximately $111 million to aid the city's economy.
Kansas City University President Marc Hahn, DO, agreed that the campus will be positive for the community. "We break ground for a new medical school and the birth of a new community," he said, according to the report. "KCU Joplin is proud to be a part of this community, to be a part of the community, which is emerging brighter and more resilient than ever. It is indeed like the phoenix rising from the ashes."