JOHN C. FREMONT CEO CHUCK BILL ADDRESSES THE COALITION PRESENTORS. GAZETTE PHOTOO BY DAN TUCKER The Valley Coalition for a UC Merced Medical School gained a number of allies following a community meeting held last Wednesday evening at the County government center.

The well-attended meeting, billed as a “listening tour,” afforded the coalition members a chance to make their case for establishing a medical school at UC Merced.

After opening comments and introductions by Supervisor Jim Allen, a power point presentation was made by Robin Adam and Staci Dabbs of the coalition’s executive committee, and UC Merced representative Cori Lucero, a Mariposa County High School graduate.

The coalition is making the presentation in the nine counties that would most benefit from the establishment of the school, including Fresno, Mariposa, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Madera, Merced, Kings, Tulare and Kern. Mariposa’s presentation was the group’s next to last.

The group explained that the San Joaquin Valley currently has 31 percent fewer primary care physicians, and 51 percent fewer practicing specialists than California as a whole. That shortage is even more acute in the rural areas of the Central Sierra. The state is expected to face a shortage of up to 17,000 physicians by 2015.

Adam also pointed out an estimated $845 million economic loss to the region when residents travel to the Bay Area or Southern California for health care.

The coalition believes establishing the medical school will help alleviate the dire shortage of primary care physicians. Nationally, 70 to 80 percent of doctors remain in the area where they receive training. Locally, that number drops to between 30 and 50 percent, but without the medical school, the number is zero.

The school will not be a traditional “brick and mortar” structure Adam explained. It will launch as a branch of the UC Davis Medical School. The school itself will be founded on a community-based distributive model of medical education, utilizing current medical facilities in the central Valley, as well as the resources at UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program and UC Davis.

John C. Fremont Healthcare District Chief Executive Officer Chuck Bill sees it as a big plus for the local hospital.

“We would expect to be a part of the educational rotation, which would expose those students to us, which could assist us in recruiting. Plus, it would help keep us on our toes working with students that are asking critical questions and working with state-of-the-art equipment,” Bill said.

Another upside the CEO envisions is the access to the school for local high school students. “If we can get local students to and through that program, there is a greater likelihood that they would return here to practice,” Bill added.

A number of interested local residents and representatives of local organizations like the Mariposa County Economic Development Commission, MERG, Mariposa County Unified School District, and others, voiced their support for the campaign.

The coalition hopes to establish the UC Davis branch by 2012, and have an independent, accredited school by 2015.

Supervisor Kevin Cann facilitated the brief question and answer session after the presentation.