Collaborative Engagement in the Heartland Benefits Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals

Tuesday, 3 December 2024

[Link]A collaborative undertaking involving Mercy Southeast, Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO), and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) will welcome medical students to Southeast Missouri and transform Mercy Hospital Southeast into a teaching hospital. Mercy Southeast and Mercy Stoddard will host clinical rotations for LECOM scholars in an upcoming school year.

LECOM is one of the largest medical colleges in America with its flagship campus in Erie, Pennsylvania. It opened its first Midwest Regional Campus in June of 2024 at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Festus, Missouri. LECOM and SEMO will help students navigate opportunities to achieve a medical education. "Mercy Southeast is thrilled to join LECOM and SEMO in attracting medical students to Cape Girardeau," said Dr. Naresh Agarwal, Mercy Southeast Chief Medical Officer. "This expansion lays the foundation for Mercy Southeast to serve as a regional teaching hospital and become a center of excellence, delivering high-quality, compassionate care to our Southeast community, while also attracting top-tier physicians," he affirmed.

In addition to selecting (with intentionality) Mercy Jefferson and Mercy Southeast for a shared mission and values, LECOM also sought out non-urban settings like Cape Girardeau. Rural
communities and the patients residing in those areas need added support for their healthcare resources. Medical students often come to love the communities in which they train. Once students become physicians, they frequently choose to remain in the community in which they have trained and established roots.

Approximately 70% of LECOM graduates become primary care physicians; medical providers who are much needed in Southeast Missouri to increase patient access to good health maintenance and to prevent the patient's need for hospital care. "Expanding to Cape Girardeau just makes sense," noted Dr. Karthik Iyer, Mercy Jefferson Chief Medical Officer and LECOM Regional Dean. "Mercy Southeast is about an hour away from our campus at Mercy Jefferson, allowing easy collaboration between our two hospitals. We see a tremendous opportunity to increase access to higher education for residents in the area with this expansion with LECOM and now Southeast Missouri State University. The chance to serve as faculty in a community teaching hospital is a big draw for many physicians. It has already helped us recruit additional physicians to Mercy Jefferson, which has been a huge win for the entire community," concluded Dr. Iyer.

The extension of LECOM to Cape Girardeau includes the LECOM Early Acceptance Program. Through this Program, LECOM partners with SEMO to identify potential medical school
candidates, guiding them in earning an advanced degree.

The Early Acceptance Program enables students to apply for a seat at LECOM at the same time they apply to SEMO. An established number of qualified students receive early acceptance to
the LECOM College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Pharmacy, School of Dental Medicine, or School of Podiatric Medicine through SEMO. SEMO students can begin the professional program before they have completed their bachelor's degree.

Dr. Carlos Vargas, SEMO President stated that, "SEMO is thrilled to offer this opportunity for our students to have early acceptance at LECOM and then to train in Cape at Mercy Southeast. We are proud to work with both of these impressive partners to address physician needs in our region," he noted.

LECOM enthusiastically seeks to assist applicants who are the first in their family to enter higher education. Transmuting value to the dollar, LECOM has demonstrated its commitment to increasing access for students by making medical education affordable. The College offers one of the lowest tuition fees in the nation for private medical colleges and LECOM provides financial aid to 89% of its students.

Exceptionally educating future physicians, pharmacists, dentists, and podiatrists, LECOM plans to continue to develop an expanded Program relationship with Mercy during the coming years
with an eventual goal of establishing Residency Programs at Mercy Southeast.

This collaboration evinces yet another noteworthy step forward in the ongoing mission of LECOM to serve each community into which it may deliver needed healthcare solutions. This LECOM alliance spotlights the grand and purposeful achievements that may be accomplished through powerful partnerships of like-minded community leaders.