Columbia-based University of Missouri School of Medicine, Springfield, Mo.-based Cox Health and Mercy Springfield celebrated a unique public-private partnership Monday with the opening of MU medical school's new clinical campus in Springfield.
The inaugural class of nine medical students was present at the ribbon cutting ceremony. These students will complete their final two years of medical training on the Springfield campus. Beginning in August 2017, the school will be able to admit 32 additional medical students each year so that by 2020, 64 third- and fourth-year medical students can train on the Springfield campus.
The goal of the partnership between MU, Cox and Mercy is to train more physicians to help address the state and nation's looming provider shortage. The school estimates this expansion will provide more than 300 additional physicians for Missouri, adding more than $390 million to the state's economy annually and creating 3,500 new jobs.
"By giving students more options for clinical training in other hospitals and physician practices, we are educating them on the diverse health needs of our state and increasing the odds of putting more physicians in Springfield and southwest Missouri," Frank Romero, MD, CMO for CoxHealth, said in a statement.
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