Medical School in Jacksonville?

[fieldafm]

A GREAT discussion.

http://jacksonville.com/news/health-and-fitness/2010-09-21/story/groupl-uf-odds-over-medical-school-jacksonville

The University of Florida’s reluctance to establish a four-year medical school on the First Coast is being questioned by a community group with a host of high-powered members.

A tentative push for a Jacksonville-based medical school is being led by a regional health council, which released a critical report last week  during a meeting of the Florida Board of Governors, the leading body of the state’s 11 public universities.


The Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida, comprised of academics, healthcare professionals and community heavyweights, made its intentions clear from the start.


“We do not see our needs being met on a permanent basis without a major change in approach towards the Jacksonville healthcare and bioscience community by the University of Florida leadership,” the report states.


The council discussed the possibility of circumventing UF and starting a new medical school with the assistance of another institution.


Last Wednesday’s meeting was packed with academic leaders from each of the state’s major research institutions, including Florida State University and the University of Central Florida.


The first reference to Jacksonville creating its own four-year medical school was made in 2007 during the committee’s first meeting, but the proposal was modified because of UF’s involvement with Shands Jacksonville, said council chair Yank Coble.  The issue was resurrected because Jacksonville is one of the few major cities in the country that has a public university but no medical school.

Members agreed in 2007 that the most cost-effective way to improve the region’s medical future was to continue investing in Shands. But UF officials said the school doesn’t want to transform the Jacksonville facility into a full-fledged medical school, leading council members to discuss other avenues.


“We find ourselves at the crossroads â€" either a new course must be charted for the future or we accept the status quo,” the report said.


Shands Jacksonville is a clinical site for third- and fourth-year medical students who are rotated in every four to eight weeks. But Shands lacks any academic offerings for less-seasoned medical students, and Coble said most upper-level students are more likely to return to Gainesville than stay in Jacksonville when their residencies end.


“It’s more efficient if students can be here for all their third or fourth years instead of being brought over in rotations,” Coble said. “And if they have to find apartments instead of living in the on-site dormitories, they would be more likely to stay around once they finish. Having an established medical school presence like that could only help the local economy.”


The hospital has no plans to increase the number of medical students or residencies in Jacksonville, said David Guzick , president of the UF and Shands Health System.


That’s for a reason. Guzick said bringing first- and second-year students to Jacksonville when they already have the required courses in Gainesville would be an unnecessary duplication that would cost taxpayers. The same would be true of keeping medical residents in Jacksonville any longer than the customary four to eight weeks.


He said the focus should be on improving Shands now so the city could benefit later.


“If a group uses the influence of community members for philanthropy and to boost state funding, we’d be able to do more,” Guzick said. “We don’t need to be bringing the first-year med students here. We’d be a better service to the community if we invested in research and clinical offerings â€" concrete work that can benefit the local economy.”


It’s unclear what school would take a chance on establishing a four-year medical school in Jacksonville.


University of North Florida President John Delaney  said the First Coast college isn’t in the market to become a research-driven university with a top-tier medical school.


“We’re focused on growing at our own pace and being one of the best undergraduate institutions in the state,” Delaney said. “If I was given $60 million, I wouldn’t use it on a med school. I’d use it to improve our existing programs â€" every time.”


Coble said it’s too early to say if there are any other schools that would be willing to establish a four-year site in Jacksonville. However, there is a precedent.


Mercer University in Georgia recently developed a regional medical campus in Savannah. And Coble’s alma mater, Duke University, even has a location in Singapore.


But Coble cautioned that the council’s discussion was mainly exploratory. No serious steps have been made to secure a Jacksonville-based medical school. He said the council’s report is based on the community’s input, and many residents feel Jacksonville needs a stronger base for healthcare and medical research.


The council and UF and Shands administrators plan to meet sometime in the next few weeks to discuss the report.


“We have great assets here in Jacksonville, so we need to explore every option,” Coble said. “We wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t at least see what we could do to improve

[St. Auggie]

Sometimes you get a second chance to make a first impression. Don't screw it up this time jax....

[thelakelander]

If UF refuses to work with the community, this community group should look to partner with another school.

[CityLife]

The State made a mistake by approving 2 new medical schools at UCF and FIU a few years ago. With the recent budget cuts to higher education in Florida, there is no way that UF, FSU, and the rest of the SUS will let there be another new med school. The only hope would be to get some type of satellite program from FSU, USF, or UCF. I know FSU tried to establish a partnership with Mayo a few years ago, but that fell through.

I give this group credit for trying, but its very unlikely to happen.

Also, the article made it sound as if FSU and UCF were at the meeting to hear information about this report. It was a Board of Governors meeting and every state school is at every BOG meeting, where all kinds of things related to education in Florida are discussed.

[Ocklawaha]

No odd's about it, if we have a medical school, we CAN get a VA Hospital. It's like getting two massive economic benefits from a single entity.

As is, "OFFICIALLY" and on the "QT" at our VA Clinic next to Shands I learned we have the #1 visited VA Clinic in the USA, and we are dead last in services. Even the Patient amenities suck, no PX, no Cafe, no Snack Bar, short on parking (including a garage which should be condemed). No general waiting room, no library, and magazines so old that Monday I picked up a Time Magazine and Roosevelt was on the cover....... Teddy!

OCKLAWAHA

[tufsu1]

when the FSU school was approved about 10 years ago, people said there wasn't enough room....then said the same thing about UCF and FIU

fact is, we have 6 med schools in the whole state (UF, USF, FSU, FIU, UCF, and Miami)...Philly metro area has that many alone...remember we have close to 20 million people in FL and the largest elderly contingent in the nation!

[Duke]

If UF refuses to work with the community, this community group should look to partner with another school.

This is news to me, I didn't realized they were trying to get a medical school in Jax.  Are they only considering public universitites?  I'm curious as to why JU or even Mayo College of Medicine weren't mentioned...

[CityLife]

when the FSU school was approved about 10 years ago, people said there wasn't enough room....then said the same thing about UCF and FIU

fact is, we have 6 med schools in the whole state (UF, USF, FSU, FIU, UCF, and Miami)...Philly metro area has that many alone...remember we have close to 20 million people in FL and the largest elderly contingent in the nation!

Fact is that we have added 3 of those in the past 10 years. 2 in the past couple years. Both the UCF and FIU schools were highly debated and weren't exactly sure things. There is no way the state would allow another new med school to pass through. Especially since the ball was rolling on the UCF and FIU med schools before the economy tanked. There would be an uproar in higher education in the state if another new school was proposed. Also, with the 3 new schools there will be no shortage of doctors in the state by any means.

The FIU school was approved because it is located in a metro area with significantly more voting power than Jacksonville will ever have. There was also a far greater need for a med school there. They are actually located in MUCH closer proximity to the large elderly population you speak of.

The UCF school was approved because UCF received significant donations for the program and because it is a growing university that didn't have a med school or law school. With FAMU getting a law school in Orlando, UCF had long since thrown its weight behind a new med school. It also could sell the new medical research center at Lake Nona. This is a huge medical research complex with a lot of $$$ and bigtime research going on.

The blunt reality is that Jacksonville does not have a research university. We are located within a two and half hour drive of 3 medical schools, 2 of which are new.

In theory it would be excellent if Jacksonville could get a medical school, especially downtown, but it is not going to happen.

I hope these people involved are just trying to leverage Shands or Mayo into expanding, because otherwise they are wasting their time. I can think of about 5-10 things that the city would be better served lobbying the state for.

[CityLife]

That would be based on me following the approval of the UCF and FIU medical schools at the time and understanding the current climate of higher education in the state, as well as the severe budget shortfalls the state is dealing with now.

I'm not an expert on the subject by any means, but I know enough to know that it is a pie in the sky idea.

[Ocklawaha]

The FIU school was approved because it is located in a metro area with significantly more voting power than Jacksonville will ever have. There was also a far greater need for a med school there. They are actually located in MUCH closer proximity to the large elderly population you speak of.

Umm? We have no need? You seem to forget while the average person in South Florida might die of organ failure due to old age, the average Jaxson dies in boating, monster truck, stock car, deer hunting and bowling accidents.
And while geriatric medicine is well established rutilusgutteratics is a new field.


OCKLAWAHA

[CityLife]

The FIU school was approved because it is located in a metro area with significantly more voting power than Jacksonville will ever have. There was also a far greater need for a med school there. They are actually located in MUCH closer proximity to the large elderly population you speak of.

Umm? We have no need? You seem to forget while the average person in South Florida might die of organ failure due to old age, the average Jaxson dies in boating, monster truck, stock car, deer hunting and bowling accidents.
And while geriatric medicine is well established rutilusgutteratics is a new field.


OCKLAWAHA

Yes there was clearly a greater need. Jacksonville's population of a little over a million is an hour and half drive  from the UF med school and 2.5 to FSU's. South Florida's population of about 5.5 million was served by 1 medical school, Miami and that is a private school, though UM med does get state $$ quite a bit.

[Ocklawaha]

Teaching hospital, Savannah, great if your dying from some exotic tropical jungle rot, just a 2 hour ride. Stephen, I really though you'd  be the first to land on the "rutilusgutteratics," comment. Oh the humanity!


OCKLAWAHA

[CityLife]

That would be based on me following the approval of the UCF and FIU medical schools at the time and understanding the current climate of higher education in the state, as well as the severe budget shortfalls the state is dealing with now.

I'm not an expert on the subject by any means, but I know enough to know that it is a pie in the sky idea.

Well we can agree that you arent an expert at any rate.

Im just ribbing you a bit, but there is a serious plan to implement a Medical School in this town, and it is being put together by serious people.

It will need a mayoral push, but the resources are there to make it happen.

I'll be interested to see what this group comes up with. Hopefully they will be able to raise a significant amount of private $$, because they are going to have a hard time getting financial support from the state.

[tufsu1]

I wouldn't jump on CityLife too much...he is correct in stating that it is a major uphill climnb...especially to get a publicly funded med school here.

UF, USF, and Miami were adamant 10+ years ago that there was no need for the FSU school...but John Thrasher, Jim King, and President Wetherell made it happen.

Then they all ganged up and derailed the FIU school for several years...and it only passed so "they" could put one at UCF too.

[thelakelander]

To bad we let that FSU medical school ride off in the sunset to Daytona Beach a couple of years ago.