Wisconsin College of Osteopathic Medicine?

[Bea5T]

http://www.dailyunion.com/news/article_883bdb50-da13-11e4-939d-13e1da4778ee.html

As someone who likes to stay involved in his community, Schamens said, his primary reason for running for Jefferson Council is the proposed Wisconsin College of Osteopathic Medicine.


He said the city “basically gave these people a quarter-of-a-million dollars with really no constraints and it got wasted and now they want to give them more land; I want to be involved in that.”


Under a proposal with the osteopathic college’s original developers, the City of Jefferson had provided an incentive of $250,000 from a tax incremental financing district to help fund development, with the promise of an additional $250,000 in the future. That money, the only source of funding the college received, was spent on salary for the college’s former dean, Dr. Gregg Silberg; legal and consulting fees; and operating expenses, without producing a feasibility study or any significant development progress.


The conception of the osteopathic college now is being led by Jennifer DeKrey and Mark Lefebvre of 7-4-7 LLC, an entirely new and different corporation, who have created a new vision and financial plan for the college. The common council did gift the land for the campus.

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[Awesome Sauceome]

The real question is why are they building it in Jefferson....

It is literally in the middle of nowhere, which is fine and all, except that there are incredible opportunities and rotations ripe for the picking in Milwaukee. MCW already has their own hospital and plenty of their own clinics throughout the region in combo with Froedtert - they are not gobbling up spots. However, Aurora and St. Lukes have MASSIVE hospitals in Milwaukee and no students in place. I have no idea why osteopathic schools set up in these bum towns when there are plenty of incredible spots for students in solid areas where people would actually be inclined to go. MUCOM is the only new school that I can think of that set up shop recently in a good area with solid rotation agreements.

Realistically, either way, 250K or heck even 500K is nothing. You need a crap ton more than that to start a school (try 100 million). This program is still very much in its infancy; so much so that I have doubts it will ever even see the light of day.

 

[Bea5T]

The real question is why are they building it in Jefferson....

It is literally in the middle of nowhere, which is fine and all, except that there are incredible opportunities and rotations ripe for the picking in Milwaukee. MCW already has their own hospital and plenty of their own clinics throughout the region in combo with Froedtert. However, Aurora and St. Lukes have MASSIVE hospitals in Milwaukee and no students in place. I have no idea why osteopathic schools set up in these bum towns when there are plenty of incredible spots for students in solid areas where people would actually be inclined to go. MUCOM is the only new school that I can think of that set up shop recently in a good area with solid rotation agreements.

Because money. These midde-of-no-where cities have limited options when it comes to creating revenue. A medical school is an easy way to get millions.

some more info

http://host.madison.com/news/local/...cle_e18d394e-c0e0-515c-b124-fcb4350afe8f.html

Mark Lefebvre and Jennifer Kidon DeKrey, who each spent about two decades with the foundation that raises money for UW-Madison, are heading up a plan to create the Osteopathic Medical College of Wisconsin, they said Wednesday.

The $125 million project would initially include a $50 million building on 100 acres near Jefferson’s business park, Lefebvre and DeKrey said. The school, supported by donations, gifts and grants, would enroll 150 to 160 students in its first year, in 2018, eventually educating about 600 students at a time, they said.

It would be Wisconsin’s third medical school, joining the UW School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison and Milwaukee’s Medical College of Wisconsin, which plans new campuses in Green Bay in 2015 and central Wisconsin in 2016.

“We’re trying to bring more primary care to underserved areas,” said Lefebvre, who helped raise money for UW medical facilities as vice president for health and life sciences at UW Foundation.

Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the UW medical school, said the idea of another medical school in Wisconsin is “very ill conceived” because there aren’t enough federally-funded residency slots to train doctors after graduation.

“At this point, any new resources for medical training would be much more wisely directed toward residency training,” Golden said.


Surprise surprise, the UW dean is the only one who acknowledges the stupidity of this plan. Same ol' undeserved rural BS.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

But why should that fall on the back of DO schools (and thus the students attending the school)? I have been to these towns, if they dont have enough crap to keep their doors open, then they SHOULD be closed - survival of the fittest. They could literally move the school 30 minutes east and their students would have incredible rotations in a really cool city.

 

[Bea5T]

But why should that fall on the back of DO schools (and thus the students attending the school)? I have been to these towns, if they dont have enough crap to keep their doors open, then they SHOULD be closed - survival of the fittest. They could literally move the school 30 minutes east and their students would have incredible rotations in a really cool city.

They don't care about that. It's all about the bottom line.

 

[Goro]

I know one of the people trying to get this off the ground, and as such, let me say "don't hold your breath"!

http://www.dailyunion.com/news/article_883bdb50-da13-11e4-939d-13e1da4778ee.html

As someone who likes to stay involved in his community, Schamens said, his primary reason for running for Jefferson Council is the proposed Wisconsin College of Osteopathic Medicine.


He said the city “basically gave these people a quarter-of-a-million dollars with really no constraints and it got wasted and now they want to give them more land; I want to be involved in that.”


Under a proposal with the osteopathic college’s original developers, the City of Jefferson had provided an incentive of $250,000 from a tax incremental financing district to help fund development, with the promise of an additional $250,000 in the future. That money, the only source of funding the college received, was spent on salary for the college’s former dean, Dr. Gregg Silberg; legal and consulting fees; and operating expenses, without producing a feasibility study or any significant development progress.


The conception of the osteopathic college now is being led by Jennifer DeKrey and Mark Lefebvre of 7-4-7 LLC, an entirely new and different corporation, who have created a new vision and financial plan for the college. The common council did gift the land for the campus.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

I dont know, maybe I am just not far enough into the healthcare system to truly understand everything; but am I the only one out there that thinks training in rural areas is not good for physicians? I agree there is a massive physician shortage particularly in rural areas. But in reality, whether or not you go to a rural school or not is irreverent because you have to go to residency before you are allowed to practice anyways. Where are 90% of residencies? In areas within 30 minutes of 1 million people. So why not make efforts to entice rural physicians (continue to up medicare/medicaid payments for rural physicians) to actually practice there. Draw the docs out of the cities with money. Stop wasting ridiculous amount of money to build a medical school to "help the rural population" when the majority of those students will be moving and practicing in cities anyways.

I dont know, there is my rant for the day. I just feel like its some scam, but its not even a clever scam, I have no idea how/why our leadership is buying into this.

 

[NurWollen]

Are they really going to call it the Osteopathic Medical College of Wisconsin?

Next, there will be [Osteopathic] Medical College of Georgia. Or maybe New York [Osteopathic] Medical College. Or how about East Virginia [Osteopathic] Medical School. Or why not Oregon [Osteopathic] Health Sciences University?

Seems like a lame way to score points off of a name that doesn't belong to it. Kind of like the proposed Southern Utah College of Osteopathic Medicine opening up in the same town as the unrelated Southern Utah University.

 

[user3]

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[CajunMedic]

That money, the only source of funding the college received, was spent on salary for the college’s former dean, Dr. Gregg Silberg

I'm curious as to what happened. He's on our faculty now, primarily involved with the 2nd years.

 

[MedNation907]

But why should that fall on the back of DO schools (and thus the students attending the school)? I have been to these towns, if they dont have enough crap to keep their doors open, then they SHOULD be closed - survival of the fittest. They could literally move the school 30 minutes east and their students would have incredible rotations in a really cool city.

Rural medicine is the rudiment of Osteopathic practice though, it's seriously one of the only lasting principles that separates osteo from allo. I mean what you're saying makes sense, obviously, but rural medicine is implanted in almost all Osteopathic mission statements. To me that's like saying 'oh, manipulative medicine is low yield these days it should just be cut from our education', like it's just too engrained in the history of who 'DOs' are. A part of me feels that it's unfortunate Osteopathic schools got the short end of the stick back in it's origin, by only having rural hospitals at our disposal, but it has since evolved into a standard.

Personally to me it's just whatever, I can go wherever I want for rotations 4th year, so if traveling a little further means helping re-build a crumbling town then so be it.

 

[WingedOx]

The real question is why are they building it in Jefferson....

It is literally in the middle of nowhere, which is fine and all, except that there are incredible opportunities and rotations ripe for the picking in Milwaukee. MCW already has their own hospital and plenty of their own clinics throughout the region in combo with Froedtert - they are not gobbling up spots. However, Aurora and St. Lukes have MASSIVE hospitals in Milwaukee and no students in place. I have no idea why osteopathic schools set up in these bum towns when there are plenty of incredible spots for students in solid areas where people would actually be inclined to go. MUCOM is the only new school that I can think of that set up shop recently in a good area with solid rotation agreements.

Realistically, either way, 250K or heck even 500K is nothing. You need a crap ton more than that to start a school (try 100 million). This program is still very much in its infancy; so much so that I have doubts it will ever even see the light of day.

FWIW, I think some UW students do come thru Aurora. Not sure how many, but enough that a friend of mine is getting paid a teaching stipend by the hospital (essentially reduced clinical responsibilities for the same salary) for a job there this fall.