Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based Marist College and Health Quest, a five-hospital system in LaGrangeville, N.Y., announced plans to construct a joint medical school during a press conference Sept. 12, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Here are five things to know:
1. The Marist Health Quest School of Medicine will become the first MD-granting college between Albany and Westchester, N.Y. The goal of the venture is to help meet the significant demand for physician education, bring high-paying jobs to the area and attract top physicians and residents to provide high-quality healthcare in the area.
2. Both organizations will have a hand in running operations at the medical school. The Marist College Board of Trustees will oversee academic governance, while the Health Quest board will oversee clinical governance. The organizations will also create a joint board that will serve as the immediate oversight authority for the school's operations, budget and strategic planning.
3. Officials said they will immediately begin their search for a founding dean and faculty, and expect the institution to be fully staffed and accredited by July 2021. At that time, officials will begin recruiting students, the report states.
4. Health Quest and Marist College expect to split the school's operating costs — which officials expect to amount to roughly $110 million — while Health Quest will fully fund all building expenses, which are expected to be an additional $75 million. However, officials said they anticipate some of the funding to come from philanthropy and grants.
5. Officials said the next step is to seek approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the state Education Department and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. New York is home to 16 private and public medical schools, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, cited by the Poughkeepsie Journal.
To access the report, click here.