Press Briefing Statements
Statements by Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr., Medical College of Georgia President Daniel W. Rahn, University of Georgia President Michael F. Adams, and Paul Umbach, president of Tripp Umbach, Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr.
Thank you for your presence today. This is an important moment for this State as we seek System-level responses to identified state needs.
In early 2007, the Board of Regents began a process of evaluating how to best meet a critical need in Georgia – the lack of physicians. Let me give just a few numbers to back up the serious nature of this need: Georgia has slipped from 37th to 40th in the number of physicians per capita in just the last two years. With our expected population growth, if we don’t change our medical education system and don’t find ways to produce more doctors, Georgia will be last by 2020.
This is despite the fact that the state’s only public medical school already has one of the largest class sizes in the country. It’s despite the fact that 54 percent of MCG’s medical graduates practice in Georgia. Nationally, only 39 percent of medical graduates practice in the state where they went to school. It’s also despite the fact that there are four other medical schools in Georgia. As the state’s public higher education system, we feel a responsibility to do more to address this critical issue.
This is crucial to all of us in Georgia because:
- The health and safety of Georgians are at risk;
- Our medical needs are increasing – as I noted, population growth is outpacing our physician resources
- The economy of the state is also at risk – would a company want to relocate employees to the state with the fewest number of doctors per capita in the nation?
Fortunately, we are not that state – and today we have a plan and a roadmap to ensure that we do not become that state. We have before us a plan that, if implemented, will assure that Georgia is a state that is healthy for both individuals and businesses. That plan utilizes the tremendous resources of numerous partners, numerous communities, and two great University System assets: the Medical College of Georgia and the University of Georgia.
As a former business executive I fully understand that the health of a community is tied to the health of the economy. So when we undertook this study, we were aware that the clock was ticking. Time is still working against us. Our view is that we must move quickly and in a focused way.
One of the greatest contributions the Board of Regents can make to the state of Georgia is training health care professionals. We need to educate more nurses …and we are. We need to educate more allied health professionals …and we are. We need to educate more doctors but we continue to talk about it!
Our work at the Board of Regents is only part of a coordinated statewide effort that will involve many others in healthcare, community development, economic development, as well as public health and safety.
To discuss how we plan to address this important issue, I’m pleased to introduce the President of the Medical College of Georgia – and also the senior Vice Chancellor of the Board of Regents, the man who is in charge of public health science education for the state, Dr. Dan Rahn. Dr. Rahn …
Medical College of Georgia President Daniel W. Rahn
Thank you, Chancellor Davis.
I’ve always believed that planning for the health and well-being of Georgians is one of the most important things, if not the most important thing, that those of us in public service in this state can do. Important work … but not easy work.
We are stewards of a very important public mission – and advancing that mission requires strong and focused leadership … but also a commitment to partnership. The recommendations presented by Tripp Umbach are a solid strategy for expanding public medical education in Georgia. Realizing that strategy – which will increase the number of medical student graduates of MCG by 60 percent by 2020 – is now the body of work we face. MCG cannot do this without the support and partnership of others that are equally invested in the health and well-being of Georgians.
That’s why the solution recommended is a statewide solution. The proposed plan involves …
- Increasing to maximum medical student capacity in Augusta
- Fully developing clinical campuses in Albany and Savannah
- Developing a campus in Athens in partnership with the University of Georgia … and …
- Forging ties for graduate medical education training – residency programs – with hospitals and physicians across the state of Georgia
At the end of the day, what does all this mean? More physicians statewide to meet the health care needs of Georgians.
I truly believe the proposed plan is an example of that old adage – a rising tide lifts all boats. If we do this right, everyone will benefit.
We are sailing into deep waters. This is the blue ocean – uncharted waters far from the safety of shore.
We know why we must do this … to ensure the good health of Georgians.
And we know how we will do this … by working together – with focus, with heart, and with an unwavering commitment to partnership – to create a better, brighter, and healthier future for our state.
University of Georgia President Dr. Michael Adams
Thanks much, Dr. Rahn.
The University of Georgia has a unique opportunity to take advantage of a series of events.
- There’s a Naval facility that we possibly can convert to educational purposes as a health sciences campus. I can’t think of a better fit than converting this site by 2012 into a facility that will include the MCG/UGA medical campus in Athens.
- We have research capabilities that can be leveraged with a partnership with MCG, creating an even larger research enterprise together than we would separately.
- We have facilities – not only in Athens, but all over the state – which can be combined with MCG to fill the crucial need of expanding the number of doctors educated in Georgia.
For starters – I can’t tell you how excited I am at the prospect of expanding medical school education in the state of Georgia to Athens. Under this plan, the MCG/UGA medical campus in Athens will:
- Have an initial class of 40 students a year enrolled no later than the fall of 2010
- Expand to 60 students by 2012.
- Start recruiting a dean, department heads and faculty immediately.
The proposal calls for the UGA health sciences campus to be located on the 58-acre former campus of the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, including medical education, the College of Public Health and biomedical research.
We have a strong history of partnering with MCG and we look forward to expanding on the partnership.
Combined, UGA and MCG can help the state make great strides in building a healthier Georgia – both physically and economically – helping bring in more businesses and provide more and better jobs for all of our graduates.
Please allow me to introduce Paul Umbach, founder and president of Tripp Umbach, which prepared this report. Paul
Paul Umbach, president, Tripp Umbach
Thank you everyone.
As you all heard, there’s a critical need for more physicians – not just here in Georgia, but nationwide.
Georgia is the 3rd fastest-growing state in the US. And it’s slipping fast in the ranks of the number of physicians. Your current drought of physicians will become a crisis by 2020 unless immediate coordinated action is taken.
This is that action. This is an investment both in health and economic development– now and for the future.
Georgia is not unique in recognizing this – but the state, led by the Board of Regents and its medical college – has the opportunity to embark on a very progressive plan to address this need.
The eyes of the nation are on Georgia: the actions here will have an impact nationally.
It’s a progressive plan because it’s truly statewide. Decades ago leaders in South Carolina and other states when in a similar situation decided to create competing state supported medical schools. Such a decision today is too expensive and would weaken the state’s opportunity to attract fresh federal research dollars into Georgia. There is no down side to expanding MCG in partnership with the UGA and other statewide partners.
Georgia is lining up several key assets:
- Its medical and research institutions
- Hospital systems throughout the state
- Residency programs in virtually every corner of the state
- This plan leverages the strengths of those institutions and includes forging ties with partners.
- Expanding medical education – and its associated research and clinical enterprises – is the best investment the state of Georgia can make. If implemented fully the plan will:
- Double to $3.2 billion the annual economic impact of the MCG– that’s an additional $1.6 billion each year
- Support the creation of 10,000 additional jobs
- Increase to $2.54 the state tax revenue return of each dollar invested by the state of Georgia in medical education by 2020.
You’ve heard a lot about how this is important. It is for both the health of Georgia’s residents and its economy. If implemented fully, we’re looking at a healthier Georgia from the perspective of its resident and from businesses considering where to locate and expand.
The cost of not acting today will cost the State more than $5 billion in added healthcare costs by 2020. There is clearly no better investment that the State of Georgia can make than the medical education expansion program recommended in this report.
My firm Tripp Umbach has completed several analyses of medical education needs across the U.S. and I can truly say that Georgia has a unique ability to address this critical need.
The stars and timing are lined up for this to be a truly collaborative, cost-effective effort: an effort that will lead to a healthier Georgia.
Thank you.