WAUSAU (WAOW) - Education and hospital officials say the new medical
college will help improve the quality of life for everyone in central
Wisconsin.
The President of Aspirus Wausau Hospital says a new
medical college is a step in the right direction.
"Hopefully it will help us meet the physician needs in the
future for our region," President and CEO Duane Erwin said.
A recent report by the Wisconsin Hospital Association
found that Wisconsin could soon be facing a shortage in doctors. It recommended
that the state needs to train or recruit 100 new doctors a year to keep up with
demand. Hospital officials said this new school will help central Wisconsin and
the state train talented physicians.
"It's been proven that if you can have trained in your
area, go through their residency in your area, they're more likely to stay,"
Erwin said.
UW-Marathon County leaders said it will bring high-caliber
students to Wausau and other central Wisconsin campuses.
"I think it adds to what Wausau has to offer," Dean Keith
Montgomery said, adding that the school's location near the US 51,
State Highway 29 interchange is also a plus.
"Twenty million cars pass that junction every year," he
said.
Wausau's mayor said the new medical school will also
benefit the economy.
"Not only is it an attractor for obviously students coming
to our area to learn the medical profession but it's also an attractor for
businesses," Mayor Jim Tipple said.
He added that the new Medical College of Wisconsin site
will add to what central Wisconsin has to offer.
"We always thought we had a great community, this is just
adding another plus to the quality of life side." Tipple said.
