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OU-HCOM, Cleveland Clinic Announce Extension Campus


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Ohio University's medical college and a prominent Cleveland health system will partner to bring an extension campus to Northeast Ohio.

OU's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic signed an affiliation agreement to establish a regional campus on the clinic's South Pointe Hospital campus.

The first class of 32 students are expected to begin in July of 2015. Students at the Cleveland campus will be the first to attend all four years there, as opposed to attending the first two years on the Athens campus.

"This affiliation agreement is a powerful example of the importance of public-private collaborations to improve the quality of life for Ohio citizens and to create jobs within regions of the state," said OU President Roderick McDavis. "Our medical students will be offered expanded education opportunities with world-renowned experts at the Cleveland Clinic. With our partners, with this additional site, we are a university of promise for our students and for the citizens of our great state."
 
OU is contributing $36 million toward the partnership for renovations, employment and operational costs.  The Cleveland Clinic has committed $13.1 million to the agreement for renovations and capital improvements.
 
The Brentwood Foundation, a private, non-profit osteopathic medicine organization, is supplying $5 million in grant money to the South Pointe Hospital, as well as a $6 million gift to graduate medical education.
 
The agreement aims to keep more primary care physicians in Ohio after graduation.
 
The university and medical system have partnered for 35 years, with OU medical students fulfilling their clinical rotations at the South Pointe hospital.
 
"Cleveland Clinic and the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine share a dedication to excellence in patient care, research and medical education," said Toby Cosgrove, M.D., Cleveland Clinic President and CEO. "This collaboration will help improve quality for patients, stimulate medical innovation and improve the economic health of our communities."
 
A consultant estimates by the time the first class of students graduates in 2019, the economic effect of the partnership will be $19 million a year and will result in 100 jobs.