UMKC School of Medicine is expanding with new St. Joseph campus

UMKC School of Medicine is expanding with new St. Joseph campus

Critical the shortage of doctors is in rural missouri truly is.

However educators say there is a prescription.good evening and thanks for joining us.

Kq2's madeline mcclain shares the local collaboration that is working to train and keep doctors right here.

<<kq2's madeline mcclain reporting:the university of missouri-kansas city school of medicine and mosaic life care are partnering to train physicians starting next month right here in st.

Joseph.mauli agrawal, umkc chancellor: "for academia this would be warp speed."with the goal of addressing the state's shortage of doctors in rural missouri -- the collaboration was the brainchild of local state rep brenda shields.state rep.

Brenda shields: "the need is especially great in missouri where we have a 250 primary-care health professional shortage areas, including 109 of our 114 counties."according to a federal report -- it's predicted missouri will be short 1,200 primary care doctors by 2025.dr. davin turner, mosaic life care: "this is that next step in a journey.

It's very exciting.

Our mission is to provide the highest quality care at the right time and the right place to rural northwest."the program hoping to prove the statistic that medical students are 3 times more likely to stay where they are trained.dr. mary anne jackson, dean of umkc med.

School: "forty percent of our students stay in this kansas city community.

After medical school, they do residency and fellowship and they stay as part of our workforce here and so we are hopeful that we will see the same if not more individuals who will live in learn in the st.

Joseph community."the satellite campus will accept 20 medical school students each year.they have dedicated workspaces and a classroom inside the st.

Joseph hospital buildings for virtual and onsite instruction.

U.s. sen.

Roy blunt, r-missouri: "people who grow up in rural communities and are able to connect with a rural community again when they get their training are just much more likely to continue down that path," u.s. sen.

Roy blunt, r-missouri, said.

One of the students looking to fill that gap is ashley ayers.one of the 20 students in the umkc-st.

Joseph inaugural class.ashley ayers, umkc-st.

Joseph medical student: "we are going to be surrounded by an environment that we are hoping to pursue a career in and so i think that's a really cool aspect of it," ayers said.

"it's not very often that you get to say you were part of a group of medical students that have started this new campus and nobody else has experienced before."she begins class in less than 3 weeks.shields: "i just ask that we open our hearts and our arms and we welcome them and embrace them and be excited that they are with us."reporting, madeline mcclain kq2 news.

The program will be paid for with a 7-million dollar federal grant over a four-year period.

The st.

Joseph health