LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A partnership between two organizations will help address the need for medical professionals in Lima and other rural communities.
The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Bon Secours Mercy Health will be creating a community medicine program for students starting in 2024. The goal of the program is to train professionals to work in rural communities.
"Those are doctors that will get an opportunity to work in these communities with psychologists, clinicians, pharmacists, nurses," said Kristina Johnson, The Ohio State University President. "So it's a really integrated educational experience."
The program will address a need for medical professionals in areas that are underserved.
"When you think about the physicians in rural versus urban areas, there is half as many per capita in rural than urban," said Johnson. "So this is an opportunity to expand our reach and impact."
Students in the program will complete two years at the Ohio State University Columbus, then complete two years at Mercy Health - St. Rita's. This is all in an effort to better train individuals who want to return to a rural setting.
"There certainly is a current and pending physician shortage throughout the country," said Ronda Lehman, Mercy Health Lima President. "Being able to create our own and really have stake in the game early on is a wonderful way in making sure that we can do everything that we can do to combat that shortage and be able to provide excellent health care to this community."
The program also puts Lima in the spotlight in training these young minds.
"Even starting in their first several years in Columbus, they will obviously be looking forward to coming to a more rural area to Lima to be able to complete that third and fourth year in medical school," said Lehman.
