Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)
San Joaquin County has 16 health professional shortage areas, statewide shortage of over 500,000 health care workers
VIDEO from the announcement on reversing the Valley’s doctor shortage is available here
STOCKTON – Today, joined by local leaders, education advocates and health care professionals, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) helped announce that the first-ever medical school in the Valley is coming to Stockton’s University of the Pacific. In response to the severe and growing doctor shortage, Harder is fighting to secure federal funding for specialized equipment for the first M.D.-granting institution outside of the state’s largest population centers, as well as financial assistance protections for local students.
Why Stockton needs its own medical school:
- Millions of people call the Valley their home, but all of California’s M.D.-granting institutions are located outside it, either in the Bay Area, Southern California, or the Sacramento area.
- Valley communities like Stockton are being hit the hardest by health care workforce shortages – San Joaquin County alone has 16 health professional shortage areas, which is being made worse by devastating cuts to Medi-Cal and Affordable Care Act tax credits.
- Statewide, more than 500,000 new health care workers are needed to meet demand by 2030 for a workforce that is also aging quickly, with one-in-four California doctors aged 65 or older.
“The Valley needs more doctors, nurses, and health care workers – it’s that simple,” said Rep. Harder. “Bringing the first medical school to the Valley is a huge step forward because it means training more doctors right here in our community. The people caring for Valley families should know this community, understand our challenges, and be able to build their lives here, too. I can’t wait to cut the ribbon on this historic investment in our community soon.”
Expected to be completed in 2030, the 100,000 square-foot medical school complex will unlock a world-class education for hundreds of Valley students, and establish a clinical partnership with Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center, which is planning its own expansion as well. The partnership will place third- and fourth-year medical school students from the University of the Pacific in clinical rotations at St. Joseph’s and other hospitals across the region.
Harder is working to transform health care in the Valley:
- Training – Harder is working to secure funding for specialized, world-class medical equipment to ensure future doctors from this University have every tool and resource they need to excel.
- Financial Aid – In response to plans to cut financial aid programs that help local students become nurses, Harder is leading legislation to protect financial aid in communities with health care workforce shortages.
- Better Health Care – Harder is leading efforts to make it easier for providers to bring specialized services by designating places like San Joaquin County as “Health Investment Zones.”
“We are enormously proud of our tradition of providing top quality educational opportunities for all qualified students – no matter their background or socioeconomic status – and creating hundreds of caring, practice-ready health care professionals each year who are desperately needed in our communities and beyond,” said University of the Pacific President Christopher Callahan. “The new School of Medicine aligns perfectly with our mission. We are not only ready, willing and able to tackle the dangerous and growing problem of a lack of physicians, but we believe it is our duty and responsibility.”
Harder was joined by Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom and David Ziolkowski, CEO of Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center, and representatives of the University of the Pacific Board of Regents and leadership team.
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