The University of Illinois College of Medicine is moving forward with plans for a $100 million building to expand on rural health care in Rockford on Parkview Avenue. The Rural Health Sciences Education Building will be built on the college's existing campus and will bring 400 more students to Rockford.
An article in US News reports that the college's dean, Alex Stagnaro-Green stated that the proposed building would allow the college to expand programs focusing on educating rural health professionals in areas such as:
- Dentistry
- Public health
- Social work
- Applied Health
The Rockford Register Star stated that the new building would be located at 1601 Parkview Avenue and would double the site's enrollment, increase the number of faculty that they have and increase the number of staff. That will have a huge impact on the fiscal status of our city and of Winnebago County according to U of I dean Alex Stagnaro-Green.
"What started 50 years ago in Rockford as a regional medical school has grown to become a health sciences campus that is known for its work in preparing health care professionals to serve in rural and underserved areas. Our Rural Medical Education Program and Nation Center for Rural Health Professions have developed successful models that can be applied to a number of health professions to help with the shortages that exist in all but four Illinois counties."
Dean of University of Illinois | Alex Stagnaro-Green
The UIC Health Sciences Campus-Rockford is poised to become the first university in the nation to have a rural health sciences education and research hub spanning seven colleges.
"The pandemic has shown there there is a greater need for healthcare professionals statewide. I think what Covid-19 did is it highlighted the differences between healthcare availability in rural versus urban areas."
Dean of University of Illinois | Alex Stagnaro-Green
WREX states that as part of the training for the students, the first two years are spent learning about rural health, ethics and fiscal demands as well as going on field trips.
As training progresses, students will get hands-on training with tractor rollover scenes, visit different hospitals around the state, and go to the southernmost parts of Illinois to talk to CEO's of critical access hospitals. The students that enroll in the program are well aware of the differences in rural and metro healthcare.
This expansion will not only have an economic impact in the Rockford area, but will also increase the number of health care providers with skills and the desire to serve the unique health needs of rural Illinois residents.
The University still needs to secure more funding from state, federal and philanthropic sources before the expansion can move forward. Ground-breaking is expected in 2023.