Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based Mercy Hospital Southeast will soon become a teaching hospital, hosting clinical rotations for medical students at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
LECOM is the largest medical college in the nation and graduates more primary care physicians than any other U.S. medical school, with its flagship campus in Erie, Pa. In June, LECOM opened its first Midwest regional campus at Festus, Mo.-based Mercy Hospital Jefferson, which is about an hour northwest from Mercy Southeast.
The collaboration aims to expand the physician workforce in the rural regions Mercy Southeast and Mercy Jefferson service, the organizations said in a Nov. 7 news release. Data indicate that many physicians tend to practice in the same communities where they complete their training.
As part of its new footprint in Cape Girardeau, LECOM is also extending its early acceptance program to students at Southeast Missouri State University. Students accepted into the program would train at Mercy Southeast.
Eventually, LECOM and Mercy plan to establish residency programs at Mercy Southeast.
"Mercy Southeast is thrilled to join LECOM and SEMO in attracting medical students to Cape Girardeau," Dr. Naresh Agarwal, chief medical officer at Mercy Southeast, said in a Nov. 7 news release. "This expansion lays the foundation for Mercy Southeast to serve as a regional teaching hospital and become a center of excellence, delivering high-quality, compassionate care to our Southeast community while also attracting top-tier physicians."