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Satellite campus of medical school discussed Friday, Jun 15, 2007 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - The chancellor of Arkansas' only medical school defended its move to locate a satellite campus in Northwest Arkansas on Thursday against a lawmaker who considers the project an unnecessary expense. A second campus for the Little Rock-based University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is needed to help address an expected shortage of physicians over the next decade, UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson told members the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Legislative Council. "We believe the best location is Northwest Arkansas," Wilson said. "We did a study before we ever entered into this. We looked at population ... growth, the hospitals, everything, and just came to the obvious conclusion that Northwest Arkansas is the most obvious place to do this." The Legislature this year approved $1.9 million from the state's $919 million surplus as start-up funding for the satellite campus. After the legislative session, Rep. Chris Thyer, D-Jonesboro, accused UAMS officials of being "less than forthright" about plans for the project, even though Wilson outlined the proposal to lawmakers at legislative hearings last fall. Thyer acknowledged Thursday that he may have "just missed" all the discussion about the planned campus, but maintained his objection to the project. "I don't think this state can afford another medical school," he said. He said he did not believe the state's population is large enough to justify a second medical school, and that UAMS is already going a good job of educating doctors. Sen. Dave Bisbee, R-Rogers, defended the need for a UAMS satellite campus in Northwest Arkansas and said he worked on the proposal during the session in an effort to guarantee doctors in training for the new 108-bed Fayetteville Veterans Home. Bisbee said he was "shocked" to learn that Thyer, who was House chairman of the Joint Budget Committee during the recently completed legislative session, was unaware of the project. "I thought everybody in the Legislature openly knew exactly what we were doing," Bisbee said. Wilson publicly apologized to Thyer for any confusion or misinformation about the proposal. The chancellor told the panel that some third- and fourth-year medical students would spend time at the Fayetteville campus. Doctors serving residency programs also would be at the campus and work at hospitals in the area and at the VA home, he said, as well as some pharmacy and nursing students. Wilson said all first- and second-year medical students would remain at the main medical center campus in Little Rock. Plans also include locating the satellite campus in already existing buildings, so no new construction will be needed, Wilson said. |
