Virginia medical school would benefit Southside

By: Tiffany Holland | GoDanRiver.com
Published: July 10, 2011

Battling the shortage of doctors and health care experts is a continuing problem for Southside Virginia.

With this in mind, the Tobacco Commission granted $25 million to the proposed King School of Medicine and Health Science with the hope the school would be placed in Virginia. More than two years later, the decision of where the school will be located has yet to be determined with several areas vying for the spot.

King College, a private school in Bristol, Tenn., announced its desire to start a medical school in 2008. In 2009, the Tobacco Commission granted $25 million — one of the largest single sums invested — to make an obvious push for the school to be placed in Southwest Virginia.

The grant came with many stipulations and required a match. It was also asked the school expands to help Southside residents by sending students there to study, work in clinics and show a preference for Southside individuals wanting to attend.

The Town of Abington and Washington County have also promised a combined $15 million to the proposed school. The Town of Marion in Smyth County has also been vying to be the medical school’s home.

Wherever the school is located there will be an economic impact as well as additional health care, since a medical school would require hundreds of new jobs and infrastructure.

It would also help increase the medical professionals in the area.

Medically underserved

According to a recent audit of the Tobacco Commission, 27 of the 41 localities in the tobacco region are designated as “medically underserved” by the State Health Department.

The commission’s investment is an attempt to help combat this problem.

Even though the school may be placed in Southwest Virginia, several members of the Tobacco Commission said Southside would still benefit.

“It just makes both Southwest and Southside more attractive an area when you have more medical schools around,” said Tobacco Commissioner and state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Martinsville.

“Many of the people that go (to medical school) will likely stay around the area because there certainly are job opportunities here. The whole goal of this is to improve the economy and the health care of the region.”

The investment

Tobacco Commission Chairman Emeritus Charles Hawkins also said the investment was for both medical care and economic development of the tobacco region.

“One of the major things to have in a region is medical care. We have some here, but this is just another piece,” said Hawkins. “This will have long term implications that will help the area. That is what many of (the commission’s) investments are for.”

Southern Virginia already has several medical schools. If the King School of Medicine were placed in Southwest Virginia, there would still be other medical schools closer to the area.

However, the schools that are in the greater area are the ones that bring doctors to the region.

According to officials at Danville Regional Medical Center, a new medical school — even if it is several hours away — would probably bring in more doctors.

Many of the doctors at DRMC have degrees from Medical College of Virginia, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Duke University and the University of Virginia — all of which are relatively close in distance.

King College officials said the exact location for the school is still being determined and they are looking at places in Virginia.

They hope to have their first students in 2012 and expect a majority of their applicants to be from Southwest and Southside.

Other schools

Other medical schools in Virginia and North Carolina region

» Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.

» East Tennessee State University james H. Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, Tenn.

» Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk

» The Brody School of Medicine at Eastern Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.

» University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School, Chapel Hill, N.C.

» University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville

» Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond

» Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke