Osteopathic medical school planned for 2005
By BILL OSINSKI
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/16/04
A new medical education complex for the Lawrenceville area is planned for an August 2005 opening.
The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine has announced plans to convert an existing 150,000-square-foot building on a 17-acre tract at 625 Old Peachtree Road into a branch campus for osteopathic and related programs.
The request for a zoning change for the project will come before the county's planning and zoning commission on July 21, and before the County Commission on July 27.
There was no information immediately available on the estimated cost of the project, or on the number of jobs it might bring to the area.
School officials said the project will help meet the growing need for medical services, particularly in traditionally underserved areas. They cited reports from the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce that stated Georgia's physician supply is not keeping up with the population growth.
School officials noted that Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine are fully qualified physicians, licensed to perform surgery and prescribe medicine. As a general rule, osteopathic medicine emphasizes the importance of preventive health care and relies on the body's inherent healing capacity.
Also, the emphasis on the proposed Gwinnett branch will be to educate and train students from the surrounding region as primary-care physicians.
