Medical campus in Athens Ga USA?

[Guest guest]

Report: Medical campus should be built in Athens

Board of Regents advised to spend $10 million to develop it

By ANDREA JONES, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/15/08

The state should spend millions of dollars on a new medical campus in

Athens while rapidly expanding the Medical College of Georgia in

Augusta to address critical doctor shortages, recommends a report

released Tuesday at the Board of Regents.

The independent study lends credence to the University of Georgia's

long-standing ambition to expand medical education in Athens and

details plans for training more doctors in the state.

• More metro and state news

The proposal urges the state to spend $10 million in 2008 to renovate

a facility in Athens and recruit a dean and faculty to begin teaching

40 med students by 2010. The medical school would operate as a

partnership venture of UGA and MCG. UGA doesn't have a medical school.

Overall, the plan calls for a $200 million investment in several

cities over the next 12 years. Chancellor Erroll said the plan,

created by Pittsburgh-based consultant Tripp-Umbach, shows the state

is " running out of time " to address the state's need for doctors.

" This is not an Athens plan. This is not an Augusta plan. This is a

state plan, " said.

Talk of an Athens expansion divided lawmakers last year, as some

Augusta legislators accused UGA of trying to steal resources from MCG.

UGA President initially spoke of creating the state's

second public medical college in Athens, but quickly backed off that

language as tempers flared.

The consultant, retained by MCG for $332,000, has been working on the

report since September.

Under its proposal, MCG would remain the state's single state operated

medical school. The statewide plan would increase the number of

medical students by 60 percent by 2020. Now it's up to the chancellor,

and MCG President Rahn to sell the plan to lawmakers.

said Tuesday that the UGA/MCG partnership will create millions

of dollars in joint research opportunities and help the state retain

top physicians. This summer, UGA secured the 58-acre Navy school site

in Athens for a health sciences campus by promising to start med

school classes by 2010.

But not all legislators are so sure. Sen. Ed Tarver (D-Augusta), a

longtime opponent, said the proposal " has some elements of a pie in

the sky approach. "

" This is all about the desire of the University of Georgia to acquire

a medical school, " he said " It seems like the consultant just adopted

what was proposed initially. "

Creating new residency programs to keep medical school graduates

in-state is also key, said Rep. Bob (R-Watkinsville).

criticized and Rahn last year for keeping lawmakers out of the

loop, but said he has come around and supports expansion plans.

" If we don't get our rear end in gear, the state is going to suffer. "

http://www.ajc.com/wireless/content/metro/stories/2008/01/15/medschool_0115.html