The Medical College of Wisconsin is considering eight locations statewide for the development of a community-based medical education program designed to address Wisconsin’s pending physician shortage.
Regions under consideration include Green Bay, the North Central area that includes Wausau and Stevens Point, the Fox River Valley (Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac), Northwest Wisconsin, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Janesville/Beloit, and Racine/Kenosha.
According to a Medical College press release, its Board of Trustees has authorized the college’s administration to conduct a feasibility study of placing a community-based medical school program in one or more locations throughout Wisconsin. The project will be staged over a multi-year period with the goal of launching the first program as early as 2014 and no later than 2015.
Dr. John R. Raymond, president and CEO of the Medical College, said Wisconsin needs to create opportunities for more students from the state to receive primary care medical education and residency training within the state. He said the program must address the need for primary care physicians in underserved communities across Wisconsin, with the greatest need in rural and urban areas.
Raymond also said the Medical College is discussing the project with leaders from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
In addition to location, the feasibility study will examine the use of telehealth education techniques and technologies for use at the community-based medical education locations.
