Newswise — Some people have questioned the wisdom of investing in a new School of Medicine during these tough economic times.
My response is: What better time?
What better time than when the community we serve is crying out for basic health care?
What better time than when the physician shortage in the Inland area has already reached a critical level? No wonder so many of our low-income neighbors report being in poor health.
But at the University of California, we DO consider ourselves to be our brother’s keepers.
Our mission as a land-grant institution is to address the pressing problems of our community . . . and surely no problem is more pressing for this community than the lack of access to health care.
And surely basic health care is a human rights issue that we cannot ignore.
And the urgent treatment prescribed – is a medical school and residency training programs right here where the need is so great.
Not just a cookie-cutter medical school, but one that uniquely addresses the health-care issues of this particular community.
To address those issues, the UCR School of Medicine will give preference to qualified candidates who are committed to practice in Inland Southern California.
And the UCR School of Medicine will demand that its new doctors have the cultural competence to interact with diverse patient populations. And it will demand that they focus on prevention . . . wellness . . . and cost-effectiveness, as well as understanding the effect of health-care disparities on disadvantaged communities.
In this way, the UCR medical school plans to be a catalyst in the community . . . partnering with health-care providers, community members, researchers and educators to improve the health of people living in this region.
If the humanitarian goals were not sufficient, investing in health care at this time also makes great financial sense.A medical school in Inland Southern California will have a huge economic impact.
Statewide, medical schools and teaching hospitals accounted for more than a quarter of a million jobs in 2008 . . . and had a 41.6-billion-dollar economic impact.
Every family doctor has a million-dollar-a-year impact on the local economy . . . over and above the health care they provide.
The medical research associated with our School of Medicine is certain to give rise to new medical technologies, which will spin off to create industries connected to pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
So this is not the time to wait for another day. The time is now for California lawmakers and Gov. Brown to make their support official and visible and stable. We have made the case that this is for the good of the people of the Inland area. Every one of you – in Riverside, in Inland Southern California, in Sacramento, in Washington – no matter what your political stripe – can stand firmly with us to make this dream a reality.
Because of your combined support, we are poised to take these strides forward, for your good, for our good and for the welfare of our most needy brothers and sisters.
RSS