The new UNC medical school would graduate about 150 new doctors each year, according to Polis.
Additional funds included in the plan would allow Trinidad State to expand the student capacity of its Allied Health Programs by 50 percent, the governor said, improving health care access in the San Luis Valley. MSU’s Health Institute Tower will use its funds to increase its student capacity by about 25 percent.
“This Certificate of Participation bill would make historic investments across the state in four Colorado institutions of higher education to bolster our healthcare workforce and support Colorado’s students and caregivers,” said the governor’s statement. “The bipartisan legislation would support the College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNC, the Health Institute Tower at MSU Denver, the Veterinary Health Education Complex at CSU, and the Valley Campus Building Addition at Trinidad State.”
The governor’s announcement said the United States is “projected to have a shortage of nearly three million healthcare workers over the next five years and 41,000 additional veterinarians by 2030.”
It went on to say that by 2026, Colorado will need more than 10,000 additional nurses, noting that 40 percent of Coloradans currently live in an area with a shortage of health workers.
Polis announced the plan on MSU’s campus, alongside Rep. Mary Young, Rep. Lindsay Daughtery, Sen. Kyle Mullica, and Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer.
They were joined by Colorado State University System Chancellor Dr. Tony Frank, MSU President Janine Davidson, UNC President Andy Feinstein, Trinidad State College President Dr. Rhonda Epper, and Colorado Community College System Chancellor Joe Garcia.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
