By - Associated Press - Thursday, November 20, 2014 <\/p>\n
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - The group awarded a $25 million grant to create a medical school in southwest Virginia says a plan to create a virtual health science center with multiple partners is a better option. <\/p>\n
The Alliance for Rural Health issued a report to the Virginia tobacco commission last week arguing against creating a new medical school, The Roanoke Times (http:\/\/bit.ly\/1zGlgeC<\/a>)) reported. <\/p>\n As a result of considerable study and dialogue, it became clear to the planners in our tobacco-affected Southwest Virginia region (as defined) that starting a medical school was not the best way to achieve increase in physicians, said the report. <\/p>\n The tobacco commission first awarded a $25 million to the project - then called the King School of Medicine - in 2009. But the project has languished since then. The commission voted to strip the grant of $5 million earlier this year and told the projects leaders to submit a plan detailing how it plans to proceed. <\/p>\n The group said it plans to partner with several organizations - including Emory & Henry College, East Tennessee State University, the Mountain States Health Alliance and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg - to create a virtual, distributed collaborative health science center. <\/p>\n State Sen. Ralph Smith, R-Bedford County and a member of the commission, said he is not impressed with the groups new plan. <\/p>\n There is an admission that a medical school for far Southwest Virginia is not feasible, from the same entity that is repeatedly claiming there is a great need for a medical school, Smith said. He added that the project spent five years trying to put lipstick on a pig. <\/p>\n Now theyre turning that pig around and are going to try the other end, he said. <\/p>\n The groups executive director, Tariq Zaidi, is set to address the tobacco commission in January. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here is the original post:<\/p>\n Group changes plan for Va. medical school grant<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By - Associated Press - Thursday, November 20, 2014 ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - The group awarded a $25 million grant to create a medical school in southwest Virginia says a plan to create a virtual health science center with multiple partners is a better option. Continue reading