Arizona State to launch ‘ASU Health,’ creating medical school, related programs

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Arizona State is working to launch “ASU Health” as part of a major initiative to improve health care across the state, part of which includes a medical school.

The announcement was made Thursday morning in a special Regents board meeting, with Arizona State University President Michael Crow as a special guest, at the school’s Tempe campus. Crow discussed briefly the university’s plan in a short Keynote presentation. The Board of Regents says it’s part of the board’s “AZ Healthy Tomorrow” initiative, which is a university-led project to deal with the state’s struggling healthcare system.

“There is not a moment to waste as Arizona must train and deploy the health care professionals our fast-growing population requires,” said Regent Fred DuVal, Chair-elect of the Arizona Board of Regents. “AZ Healthy Tomorrow is about bettering the lives of Arizonans and Arizona families by improving access to health care and lowering costs.”

Arizona ranks 32nd among health system performance, ASU said. The purpose of building a complete health education ecosystem is not only to address the expanding needs of health care in the state but also to improve the quality of life and increase health literacy for Arizonans. A recent state analysis of the healthcare worker shortage indicates that the state needs about 700 more primary care physicians and over 14,000 nurses. ASU is also expected to continue its partnership with the Mayo Clinic, as the two organizations work to expand the nursing workforce and synergize on medical engineering and solving “complex health care problem.”

“It’s critical that we ensure every Arizonan has access to quality, affordable health care,” Gov. Katie Hobbs said in a statement. “That means we must attract and develop qualified health care professionals, and the AZ Healthy Tomorrow program is an important step to getting that done. I’m glad Arizona’s universities are moving the needle forward on this important issue.”

Part of the ecosystem would also include a program on advanced medical engineering, utilizing the wealth of research and knowledge that has accumulated over the decades. Exact details and the full framework of the new program weren’t immediately released.

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