A new program announced Tuesday in Joplin will provide a pathway for students in rural districts to become osteopathic physicians or dentists.
Kansas City University’s new Rural Health Scholars program is a collaboration of eight community colleges in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma as well as Missouri Southern State University in Joplin and Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas.
The community colleges offering the pathway are Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami. In Kansas, they are Coffeyville Community College; Allen Community College in Iola; Fort Scott Community College; Independence Community College; Labette Community College in Parsons; and Neosho County Community College in Chanute.
The idea behind the program is to get more rural students on the path to a medical career with the hope that, once they graduate, they might practice in rural areas.
All eight of the participating community colleges are located in counties that are federally designated as medical and dental underserved rural counties, according to Schooler. All eight are within about a two-hour drive of Joplin.
Dr. Richard Schooler, vice-president of the Kansas City University Joplin campus, said the U.S. is experiencing a rural health crisis, both medical and dental.
"Joplin is surrounded by federally designated medical and dental underserved counties for hundreds of miles in all four directions," he said. "Almost every measurable health outcome is significantly poorer for rural populations when compared to metropolitan populations, and one of the main reasons for that is the scarcity of health care providers and limited access to health care in rural areas."
President and Chief Executive Officer of KCU Dr. Marc Hahn said, currently, more than 200 dentists are needed in Oklahoma and over 1,000 dentists and physicians are needed in Missouri to address the health care shortfalls.
"There's a significant problem here, and that significant problem is only going to get worse as the population grows."
Students will begin the program at a participating community college where they’ll complete their first year of undergraduate coursework. Those who meet academic requirements will then transfer to PSU or MSSU for their second and third years. After their second year, qualified students will be invited to interview for early admission to KCU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine or College of Dental Medicine.
KCU plans to work with its partners in Rural Health Scholars to reach out to students and recruit scholars. They'll host outreach events and visit schools, said Dr. Catherine Satterwhite, executive director of the KCU Center for Population Health and Equity and the person who will oversee the new program.
"Our goal is to promote the exciting opportunities that practicing medicine and dentistry in rural and small urban areas offer," she said.
Schooler said students with a rural background are “well-positioned to serve in rural areas and help close critical care gaps.”
