A healthy Commonwealth Medical College can do wonders for region
Boosters of The Commonwealth Medical College don’t want you to think of the med school as a Scranton-only institution, and with good reason.
This startup college serves the entire region and, based on its potential economic and other impacts, it’s arguably among the best things to happen to Northeastern Pennsylvania since the arrival of Interstate 81. Now in its sixth year, TCMC exists primarily to boost the number of doctors, including specialists, who practice in this part of the state. That means more local patients, and their money, will stay in Luzerne, Lackawanna and surrounding counties when they seek health care.
But having a medical school in our midst offers many other benefits, too.
Dr. Steven Scheinman, the college’s dean and chief cheerleader since 2012, recently visited with the Times Leader’s Opinion Board to offer his assessment of TCMC’s condition today and to outline some of its aspirations. His enthusiasm for the college’s mission is, dare we say, infectious.
“I think we’re just at the beginning of what we can accomplish,” Scheinman told us.
After a rocky period, TCMC has more recently strengthened its financial position thanks to increased federal support and rising student admissions. In fact, it’s dean no longer is actively looking for a hospital or university with which to potentially partner, he said. Meanwhile, the college has received accreditation from two agencies and learned that its students’ performance on board exams exceeds the national average.
Less than two years from now, the recipients of TCMC’s first medical degrees, who are serving their residencies at places such as the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Walter Reed National Military Center, will be practicing. (And you can bet they’ll be hearing from someone at their alma mater, encouraging them to “come back home.”)
Administrators at The Commonwealth Medical College recognize the financial burden of student loans on their graduates; some are saddled with debt of $180,000 or more. So a campaign quietly has begun to ramp up the college’s endowment and supply more scholarships. Last week, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation became an early backer, pledging $3.2 million over the next decade.
Would-be donors should be aware their contributions to TCMC, beyond aiding a student achieve his or her dream, also support this region’s well-being.
TCMC spurs economic activity by purchasing goods and services as well as by providing its faculty and staff with good salaries. Its academic whizzes increasingly will participate in projects, such as Geisinger’s Genome Research Center in Forty Fort, benefiting patients globally, but also focus on regional-specific issues, such as access to mental health services.
TCMC’s Scranton-based headquarters has, from the start, been complemented by campuses in Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport, with the Stroudsburg area emerging as another likely site.
If all goes as planned, this medical school won’t one day be known as a Scranton success story. It’ll be the success story of an entire region.
Northeastern PA Health Care Foundation Scholars Program Established at The Commonwealth Medical College
Scranton, PA –The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation today announced the award of a $3.2 million grant to The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC). The grant will be awarded over an 11 year period and will fund four-year scholarships for incoming students from Northeastern PA who are enrolled in TCMC’s doctor of medicine (MD) program.
Candidates for the award will be screened through the TCMC admissions process, beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year. These need-based scholarships will be awarded to students from Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties, which are the counties served by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation. Besides residence, other important factors for consideration include interest in practicing medicine in Northeastern PA and previously demonstrated service to the community. Successful candidates will receive up to $40,000 per year in scholarship assistance.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation is making this long-term commitment to TCMC to support the enrollment and retention of highly qualified students who have a strong desire to practice medicine in the region upon completion of their studies. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation’s Scholars Program will have an additional community immersion component to the curriculum.
James Clemente, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation remarked, “Both TCMC’s and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation’s goals are complimentary in that we are both committed to working towards reducing the physician shortage in our region. The Foundation’s Board of Governors feels that supporting TCMC will have a positive impact on community health in NEPA for many years to come.”
Steven J. Scheinman, MD, President and Dean of TCMC, said, “I applaud and thank the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation for this very significant commitment to our students and the health of the region. It will make a substantial difference for at least 20 medical students from NEPA over the next decade. These scholarships will help us recruit bright students from this region who are economically disadvantaged but aspire to be doctors. Our mission and the goals of the Foundation in creating these scholarships are completely congruent.”
NEPA Healthcare Foundation in the News:
About TCMC:
The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) is one of the nation’s newest fully accredited medical colleges. TCMC offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport. TCMC offers a Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS), and MD/Master of Public Health (MPH) dual degree. The College’s innovative curriculum, focused on caring for people in the context of their lives and their community, attracts the next generation of physicians and scientists from within its 16-county region in northeast and north central Pennsylvania as well as from across the state and the nation.
The Commonwealth Medical College is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities.
About the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation:
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation (NEPA HCF) was established in 2011 following the sale of Mercy Hospital in Scranton. Their mission is to function as a community foundation that supports the health care needs including, but not limited to, health education, community wellness, payment for medical care of the uninsured and underinsured, regardless of the facility of treatment, and to improve the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of the residents of Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation is administered by the Scranton Area Foundation. For more information, visit nepahealthcarefoundation.org