Several Detroit-area interested parties said they're optimistic about the benefits a proposed expansion of MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine could have on health care in the region.
"Education's probably one of the most important aspects at keeping us competitive," said John Carroll Jr., senior vice president of business development at the Detroit Regional Chamber.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine plans to start a four-year branch campus in the Detroit area that could be established by 2007.
The college already has expanded its class size to 205 students in the past three years, said William Strampel, the school's dean.
Without specific details about how many jobs would be created and how much the expansion would cost, it's hard to predict the impact the project could have on the Detroit economy, Carroll said.
But he added that he'd welcome any new development, and that the region's medical industry has room to grow.
"It is an industry that is struggling from recruitment issues," said Ceeon Quiett, a spokeswoman for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
City hospitals have had to look outside the area, and even outside the state, to fill vacant positions, she said.
"We should be able to look right here," Quiett said.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine has a history of retaining students. Ninety-five percent of the school's students take internships or residencies in Michigan hospitals, and two-thirds of the alumni practice within the state, said Pat Grauer, a spokeswoman for the college.
In addition to preparing for a projected nationwide shortage of doctors, Strampel said the expansion would give him an added ability to recruit underprivileged minority students from the Detroit area.
"If you're looking for quality minority students, I think Detroit would be a great place to find them," Carroll said.
MSU hasn't yet utilized all the assets in the region, said Joseph McNerney, director of medical education for St. John Health's osteopathic division in Detroit.
"The main idea is to provide more physicians for an underserved area," McNerney said. "We can handle more in southeast Michigan."
Kilpatrick has identified four target industries for growth to reduce Detroit's dependence on automotive manufacturing, and health care is one of those industries, Quiett said.
MSU's medical students work in hospitals across the state during the third and fourth years of their programs.
There are currently only five MSU osteopathic students in the St. John Health system. McNerney has committed to taking another 45 students by 2009. He said he hopes to expand the student presence to four new hospitals in the system, which would allow students to serve about 10 times as many beds.
St. John Health has offered the college space for the proposed campus in its Conner Creek Village facility, but even that option would require significant infrastructure investment, McNerney said.
He said he doesn't envision a lot of risk in the venture.
"For sure, I think it's going to have an impact on health care in Detroit," McNerney said. "It's beneficial for the state — it would also be beneficial for Detroit."
Bob Darrow can be reached at darrowro@msu.edu.
