A new public-private partnership was touted at the groundbreaking for a new college of osteopathic medicine located at NMSU.
Cement poured into the ground signaling the future home of The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University. The 80,000 square- foot facility will be located on the campus of NMSU’s Arrowhead Research Park.
BCOM as the school is referred to, is not part of New Mexico State University. However, through an agreement BCOM students will be able to access student life services at NMSU, and BCOM has agreed to create scholarships for NMSU students.
According to Dan Burrell, Executive Chairman of BCOM, putting together a project like this can be difficult.
“A lot of pieces have to come together. You need a university that’s willing to be highly innovative, you need an entrepreneurial spirited president who will come in and take risks. You need a board of regents that’s willing to take risk, and you need community leaders, and hospitals, and the clinics that will support our residency and clerkship programs and ultimately you need a family like ours that will put their name behind it and support it financially, and really work to operate it in accordance to the best practices in the industry.”
Having a college of medicine can also help train and retain doctors in this area according to Dr. Robert Juhasz, President of the American Osteopathic Association.
“DO’s have the tendency to learn in a community, they then have the tendency to stay in the community to provide primary care, so it’s very exciting for us to be able to serve the citizens of New Mexico as Osteopathic Physicians.”
BCOM projects the $38 million dollar facility (Including construction) is expected to be completed by May 2016, with the first medical class expected to begin in August 2016.