UMKC Medical school answers the call

Like a teenager looking in the mirror, St. Joseph has a tendency to dwell on its flaws.

• Crime? Statistics show that perceptions and reality are not completely aligned when it comes to most categories of violent crime.
• Potholes? Do you really think that St. Joseph is the only place above the 38th parallel where water seeps into cracks and then freezes?
• Schools? The real tragedy of our school board is that the dysfunction takes the focus from what administrators, teachers and students do every day.
• Amenities? Do a Google search for “dead malls” and you’ll see that East Hills Shopping Center has plenty of company. And you can’t whine about QuikTrip anymore.

But St. Joseph has something – something significant – that most small or mid-sized communities can’t claim. St. Joseph is home to a School of Medicine - unique learning model specifically tailored for the health care needs of rural communities.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 20 for a $14.5 million building that will house a rural-focused School of Medicine in St. Joseph. Located across from the Mosaic Life Care campus, this UMKC medical school offers learning opportunities, state-of-the-art technology and practical experiences in a rural setting.

UMKC began training medical students in St. Joseph four years ago, when the university and Mosaic entered into a partnership to address the critical shortage of physicians in rural areas. The program, operating on the Mosaic campus until now, recently graduated its first class of medical school students.

The new building enhances the medical school’s potential and stabilizes its future. It serves as a reminder that UMKC, Mosaic and St. Joseph aren’t just bemoaning the health care challenges in Northwest Missouri. Led by state Rep. Brenda Shields, R-St. Joseph, as well as numerous officials from Mosaic, UMKC and the University of Missouri system, they’re doing something to reverse the tide of defeatism that infects rural areas with declining populations.

This medical center doesn’t solve all the problems with rural access to health care. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a 23% decline in rural physicians by 2030 due to retirements. There are issues of hospital reimbursement, Medicaid funding and insurance that must be sorted out. But the UMKC medical school is more than a photo op.

It’s a difference-maker, one that was cooked up and delivered right here in St. Joseph. Next time you’re counting all the things that are wrong with St. Joseph, put the UMKC School of Medicine in the ledger of things that make us proud.