A new partnership between The Ohio State University and Mercy Health-St. Rita's is now in full swing.
LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A new partnership between The Ohio State University and Mercy Health-St. Rita's is now in full swing.
15 medical students, the first ever class in the Ohio State main campus' Community Medicine M.D. track, visited Lima on Thursday as officials from OSU and Mercy Health spoke to the community about the new program.
The goal of the track is to address the shortage of physicians in low-population and rural areas. The accepted students were hand-picked because they demonstrated a passion for helping underserved communities and a desire to practice medicine in a small town after graduation.
"I always knew I wanted to practice community medicine, medicine based in helping the community. Maybe helping people who aren't as fortunate as others that live in the community. So, when I first heard about this program in my undergrad here at Ohio State Lima, I knew it was a perfect fit for me. It was always my plan to come back to Lima and practice here," said Elyjah Roa, a Lima native enrolled in the program.
The accepted students were hand-picked because they demonstrated a passion for helping underserved communities and a desire to practice medicine in a small town after graduation.
"We know that access to care is a challenge in so many communities, and the sooner people get access to care, the better their overall health is going to be throughout their life. It's an amazing environment to be in a little bit smaller and a not big city environment, so it's a great place to practice, and we're hoping to showcase that," added Mercy Health-St. Rita's President Ronda Lehman.
The students will study in Columbus in their first two years, then the next two years of the program will be spent in Lima at Mercy Health.
"The third and fourth years are when they'll be here. They'll be in clinical rotations, so they will be working alongside physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physical therapists, you name it. And really taking care of patients and families," explained Carol Bradford, the Dean of Ohio State College of Medicine.
During their time in Lima, the students will be working outside the walls of the hospital and classroom with local leaders like health-oriented nonprofits and churches to learn about reaching residents in need of health education and preventative medicine.
