Prestige for the community aside, perhaps the biggest advantage of locating a Mercer University School of Medicine satellite campus in Columbus is the five-star physician \u201crecruits\u201d it might attract. <\/p>\n
That was one of the most descriptive analogies offered up Friday as Macon, Ga.-based Mercer made it official at the Columbus Public Library news conference that it is partnering with The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital on a two-year doctor training program after 18 months of discussions and logistical planning. <\/p>\n
St. Francis President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Granger pointed out college football is king in the South and that everyone understands how difficult it is to recruit the elite players to universities such as Auburn, Alabama and elsewhere. <\/p>\n
\u201cMedical school graduates are much like those five-star recruits. They can go anywhere that they want to go. They have plenty of opportunities to choose where they want to practice,\u201d said Granger, explaining the national shortage in health-care specialties. <\/p>\n
Georgia, in fact, ranks 37th in the U.S. in terms of physicians per capital. A quarter of doctors in the state are 55 or older. At the same time, the number of Georgians over age 65 is expected to double in the next two decades. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is vital to the long-term success of our community that we bring those physicians here to practice and replace those physicians that we have that are retiring, and to meet the needs of the aging Baby Boomer population in our community,\u201d Granger said. <\/p>\n
Mercer and the two Columbus hospitals believe that will be the case as physician students complete their third- and fourth-year clinical rotations locally, then bond with the community and return after receiving their specialty degrees. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe retain more of our graduates in the state of Georgia than any of the other medical schools in this state and, in fact, rank second of the 160 medical schools nationally in the percentage of graduates retained in the home state of that school,\u201d said Mercer President William Underwood of the university\u2019s School of Medicine, which was founded in 1982. It trains only Georgia residents. <\/p>\n
It will be six months before the first 12 students arrive from Mercer, where they have had their first two years of classroom studies. They are expected to split their time between The Medical Center, which is owned by Columbus Regional Healthcare System, and St. Francis Hospital. <\/p>\n
The goal is to grow that number to 24 in the second year and eventually ramp it up to 80. At some point, if everything goes smoothly, thoughts will turn toward a four-year bricks-and-mortar campus in Columbus, perhaps something similar to that in Savannah, where Mercer already has a full medical training operation. <\/p>\n
That was part of the discussion in August 2010 when a delegation from Columbus approached the university about locating a campus here. The group included First Baptist Church Pastor Jimmy Elder and businessman Tom Black, both members of Mercer\u2019s board of trustees. Also there was Georgia State Rep. Richard Smith and Pete Robinson, Columbus resident and chairman of Atlanta-based lobbying firm Troutman Sanders Strategies. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was intrigued in knowing what I know about Columbus and the can-do attitude and spirit here,\u201d Underwood said. \u201cI told them that should this initial step prove successful, and should there be adequate support in the community for taking the next step of opening a full four-year medical school campus, we\u2019d be willing to explore that possibility as well.\u201d <\/p>\n
On Friday, Elder said the fruits of those talks with the university president led to the final decision by all involved to move forward. It showed both Columbus and Mercer at their \u201cfinest,\u201d he said, also pointing out the local institution will be heavily into medical research. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery once in a while you\u2019ll find perfect suitors for something to take place,\u201d Elder said. \u201cWith Mercer\u2019s spirit and its ability, with Columbus and the spirit here, and with the spirit from the hospitals, we saw the most beautiful merging of minds, ideas and spirits that you\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d <\/p>\n
Black called it a \u201cstellar day\u201d for the city to see Columbus Regional and St. Francis \u2014 who at times can be intense competitors in the local health-care sector \u2014 putting any rivalry aside for the better good of the community. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s going to mean great things for Mercer, for our two hospitals, and the city of Columbus,\u201d Black said. Smith, who recalled having a cup of coffee with Robinson and pondering what next great thing could happen in Columbus, then thinking of a medical school, said Mercer\u2019s presence here will change the quality of life for residents for years to come. He also threw out a motivational phrase: \u201cWithout leaps of dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibility. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mike Gaymon, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, ticked off memorable moments in the city\u2019s history \u2014 construction of the Chattahoochee Riverwalk, landing women\u2019s fast-pitch softball during the 1996 Summer Olympics, and launching a technology course to train programmers for credit-card processor TSYS. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a game-changing opportunity for our region,\u201d he said. \u201cWe think today\u2019s announcement will be one of those significant events.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mercer University School of Medicine Dean Bill Bina said the Columbus campus will have the mission of educating doctors to serve not only here, but in rural and underserved areas of the state. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to improve medical education, enhance residency training experience, and meet the needs of the Columbus community,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Lance Duke, president and CEO of The Medical Center, noted that his hospital has long been a training ground. It established the first family practice residency program in Georgia in 1972. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve trained hundreds of physicians over that period of time and over 80 physicians in our region received part of their training at The Medical Center residency program,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is for the community good, for the region\u2019s good, and benefits both health systems and both hospitals.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dr. John Bucholtz, director of Medical Eduction and the Family Practice Residency Program at The Medical Center, has been heavily involved in the planning process thus far. He said Mercer will likely set up offices at The Bradley Center in Columbus, with staff also having space at each hospital. <\/p>\n
However, the march toward a four-year campus will take time, he stressed, with this first step leading to higher enrollment and more faculty. There\u2019s much work to be done, he said, but enthusiasm is high. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe doctors that I talk to are very excited about this. Everybody wants to get involved with it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Mercer School of Medicine has graduated more than 1,000 physicians since its founding 30 years ago. It currently has about 400 medical doctor students enrolled. <\/p>\n
Columbus Regional and St. Francis both have grown steadily with Columbus developing into a regional health-care hub. St. Francis is well known for its cardiology treatment and care, while Columbus Regional owns Doctors Hospital and The Medical Center. Its specialties include a regional trauma center, high-risk infant care and cancer treatment. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read more: Prestige for the community aside, perhaps the biggest advantage of locating a Mercer University School of Medicine satellite campus in Columbus is the five-star physician \u201crecruits\u201d it might attract. That was one of the most descriptive analogies offered up Friday as Macon, Ga.-based Mercer made it official at the Columbus Public Library news conference that it is partnering with The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital on a two-year doctor training program after 18 months of discussions and logistical planning. Continue reading
\nUPDATE: Mercer University to partner with St. Francis Hospital, The Medical Center for medical campus<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"