PHOENIX (By Mike Cronin, Arizona Republic)
October 18, 2005 — Rain pelted their suits, skirts and shoes. Soaked
within seconds. And still they stayed.
The constant impact of falling water couldn't match the impact of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon's words.
For the first time, supporters of the University of Arizona College of Medicine's Phoenix campus learned that what has so far been a trickle of money for the school could now become a cascade.
During an outdoor news conference Monday, Gordon told a crowd of about two dozen that the city has given the school $25 million. And he promised he will attempt to come up with $90 million more.
That could bring the medical school a new education facility, with classrooms, labs and student and business services. And by the 2014-15 academic year, the school would be larger than its counterpart in Tucson, injecting new research, physicians and economic benefits into the Valley.
The $25 million comes in the form of a loan that is part of a federal program designed to help underdeveloped areas. The downtown site qualifies because the medical school is occupying renovated buildings that might otherwise be torn down. Gordon said he also will seek the additional $90 million from the Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corp.
The loan will be paid back from the school's lease payments. The school already is receiving $7 million a year in state money approved by the Legislature and Gov. Janet Napolitano. That money will allow UA to begin and operate its program starting in 2007 with 24 first-year students.
Keith Joiner, dean of UA's College of Medicine, said the school will continue to search for other sources of money through legislative requests, private fund-raising and grants.
As more funding emerges, ultimately 150 students will be assured of having the choice of becoming doctors in Tucson, UA's traditional medical base, or in Phoenix, where the campus will tie into a biotech complex.
Despite opposition from some state legislators, proponents of a downtown Phoenix medical school insist it will bring a number of benefits, including more choices for students, additional doctors and new jobs for the state, and cutting-edge research.
Now, all Arizona medical students spend their first two years in Tucson for traditional academic classroom instruction. Students can decide to remain in Tucson or move to Phoenix to finish the final two years, which focus more on clinical instruction.
"It would be ideal to have those two steps combined in the same city," said Petelin, 28. "There would be a greater sense of community."
Carter, 26, said her life would have been easier had she been able to stay in Phoenix. She would have saved money by living with her parents and been closer to friends.
"And there are so many hospitals here, they could easily take more students," she said. Carter said she was often the only medical student on her clinical rotation team.
"That allows for more teaching," she said.
There are 28 acute-care hospitals in the Phoenix area, with an additional six under construction, said Adda Alexander, an Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association spokeswoman. "And it seems like there's a new proposal for one every month."
Joiner said it is critical that UA educate more medical students.
"We currently train seven physicians per 100,000 people," he said. "That puts us last in the country of all states with medical schools. The national average is 22. We're not even a third of that."
By having a medical school here, it will be possible build a medical infrastructure, Petelin said. That would increase the number of residencies, the three- to seven-year training periods when medical school graduates become doctors in their chosen fields.
"But you can't do it without a medical school," Petelin said.
Increasing residency spots is crucial for Arizona because doctors are likely to settle in the areas they do their residencies.
"If I have to go to another city to do my training, am I more likely to set up shop and work in that city? Yes," Petelin said.
A July study by Tripp-Umbach found that a downtown medical school would generate $2.1 billion annually in economic impact, adding 24,000 jobs by 2025. It could also bring $80 million a year to the state, with a yield of $2 for every $1 the state invests .
"Academic health centers are financial engines," Joiner said. "In general, a medical school and its related facilities yield a return of $3.11 for every $1 spent on the research side of things. It's such a sure bet, that there should just be no doubt that this is a great investment."
Yet several legislators, including Majority Leader Stephen Tully, R-Phoenix, wonder if that's true.
"It hasn't been thoughtfully done, and it hasn't been done correctly," Tully said.
Tully doesn't believe university officials proposed the medical school to meet a lack of physicians.
"They simply desired a medical school in Phoenix and came up with the doctor shortage and jump-starting the downtown Phoenix core after the fact," he said. "Maybe their instinct is correct. The problem is when we started asking questions that we're required to at the Legislature, we got a lot of resistance and not a lot of answers."
"We're going to have faculty who are world-renowned investigators," Joiner said.
"The best teachers have an understanding of the basic science of medicine. We want to build a research-intensive facility to complement the clinical training we'll give our physicians."
Dr. Jeffrey Singer, a general surgeon who works in Phoenix and north Scottsdale, said campus-scientist research and the campus medical library will prove valuable to the Valley's physicians.
"We'll have access to doctors who work full-time in academia," he said.
"We'll be able to get information and data as well as attend conferences and symposia the campus will host."
Rep. Laura Knaperek, R-Tempe, also cites the public benefits the school and its research would provide.
Joiner specifies cancer treatment as the specialty he wants the medical school to be renowned for, in the same way Boston's Joslin Diabetes Center is for that disease.
"We'll have a comprehensive program," he said, "where the clinical, educational and research areas will link in such a way that an individual with any type of cancer will consider us as the destination for out-of-state care."
The constant impact of falling water couldn't match the impact of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon's words.
For the first time, supporters of the University of Arizona College of Medicine's Phoenix campus learned that what has so far been a trickle of money for the school could now become a cascade.
During an outdoor news conference Monday, Gordon told a crowd of about two dozen that the city has given the school $25 million. And he promised he will attempt to come up with $90 million more.
That could bring the medical school a new education facility, with classrooms, labs and student and business services. And by the 2014-15 academic year, the school would be larger than its counterpart in Tucson, injecting new research, physicians and economic benefits into the Valley.
The $25 million comes in the form of a loan that is part of a federal program designed to help underdeveloped areas. The downtown site qualifies because the medical school is occupying renovated buildings that might otherwise be torn down. Gordon said he also will seek the additional $90 million from the Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corp.
The loan will be paid back from the school's lease payments. The school already is receiving $7 million a year in state money approved by the Legislature and Gov. Janet Napolitano. That money will allow UA to begin and operate its program starting in 2007 with 24 first-year students.
Keith Joiner, dean of UA's College of Medicine, said the school will continue to search for other sources of money through legislative requests, private fund-raising and grants.
As more funding emerges, ultimately 150 students will be assured of having the choice of becoming doctors in Tucson, UA's traditional medical base, or in Phoenix, where the campus will tie into a biotech complex.
Despite opposition from some state legislators, proponents of a downtown Phoenix medical school insist it will bring a number of benefits, including more choices for students, additional doctors and new jobs for the state, and cutting-edge research.
Student choices
Fourth-year students and Phoenix natives Tony Petelin and Gina Carter would have chosen to remain in their hometown if they'd had that option.Now, all Arizona medical students spend their first two years in Tucson for traditional academic classroom instruction. Students can decide to remain in Tucson or move to Phoenix to finish the final two years, which focus more on clinical instruction.
"It would be ideal to have those two steps combined in the same city," said Petelin, 28. "There would be a greater sense of community."
Carter, 26, said her life would have been easier had she been able to stay in Phoenix. She would have saved money by living with her parents and been closer to friends.
"And there are so many hospitals here, they could easily take more students," she said. Carter said she was often the only medical student on her clinical rotation team.
"That allows for more teaching," she said.
There are 28 acute-care hospitals in the Phoenix area, with an additional six under construction, said Adda Alexander, an Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association spokeswoman. "And it seems like there's a new proposal for one every month."
More doctors
That's good news for those who want the Phoenix medical campus to address Arizona's severe doctor shortage. A study by Arizona State University and UA researchers released in June showed that the state boasts only 208 physicians per 100,000 people, compared with the national average of 283.Joiner said it is critical that UA educate more medical students.
"We currently train seven physicians per 100,000 people," he said. "That puts us last in the country of all states with medical schools. The national average is 22. We're not even a third of that."
By having a medical school here, it will be possible build a medical infrastructure, Petelin said. That would increase the number of residencies, the three- to seven-year training periods when medical school graduates become doctors in their chosen fields.
"But you can't do it without a medical school," Petelin said.
Increasing residency spots is crucial for Arizona because doctors are likely to settle in the areas they do their residencies.
"If I have to go to another city to do my training, am I more likely to set up shop and work in that city? Yes," Petelin said.
A July study by Tripp-Umbach found that a downtown medical school would generate $2.1 billion annually in economic impact, adding 24,000 jobs by 2025. It could also bring $80 million a year to the state, with a yield of $2 for every $1 the state invests .
"Academic health centers are financial engines," Joiner said. "In general, a medical school and its related facilities yield a return of $3.11 for every $1 spent on the research side of things. It's such a sure bet, that there should just be no doubt that this is a great investment."
Yet several legislators, including Majority Leader Stephen Tully, R-Phoenix, wonder if that's true.
"It hasn't been thoughtfully done, and it hasn't been done correctly," Tully said.
Tully doesn't believe university officials proposed the medical school to meet a lack of physicians.
"They simply desired a medical school in Phoenix and came up with the doctor shortage and jump-starting the downtown Phoenix core after the fact," he said. "Maybe their instinct is correct. The problem is when we started asking questions that we're required to at the Legislature, we got a lot of resistance and not a lot of answers."
Top research
Joiner's goal for the school includes top-notch faculty, which will do research that benefits both students and the local community."We're going to have faculty who are world-renowned investigators," Joiner said.
"The best teachers have an understanding of the basic science of medicine. We want to build a research-intensive facility to complement the clinical training we'll give our physicians."
Dr. Jeffrey Singer, a general surgeon who works in Phoenix and north Scottsdale, said campus-scientist research and the campus medical library will prove valuable to the Valley's physicians.
"We'll have access to doctors who work full-time in academia," he said.
"We'll be able to get information and data as well as attend conferences and symposia the campus will host."
Rep. Laura Knaperek, R-Tempe, also cites the public benefits the school and its research would provide.
Joiner specifies cancer treatment as the specialty he wants the medical school to be renowned for, in the same way Boston's Joslin Diabetes Center is for that disease.
"We'll have a comprehensive program," he said, "where the clinical, educational and research areas will link in such a way that an individual with any type of cancer will consider us as the destination for out-of-state care."
