One Step Closer
George Fox students spend significant time learning in clinical settings.
With George Fox University announcing plans to open a Roseburg campus, local visionaries’ dream of a local medical college is nearing reality.
Story by Brittany Arnold Photo by Chris Low
The long, collaborative effort to bring a medical college to Douglas County came one giant step closer to reality last year with the announcement that George Fox University, a private Newberg-based college, plans to open a campus in Roseburg.
Tentatively called the Southern Oregon Medical Workforce Center (SOMWC), the college will focus on training students pursuing careers in allied and mental health professions. Allied health is a broad term that covers medical professions such as physical therapist, nutritionist, medical technician and others.
The effort to locate a medical-training college in Roseburg was kick-started about six years ago, and the momentum has continued to build. Then last spring officials from George Fox University signed a memorandum of understanding with Oregonians for Rural Health to determine the scope, degree programs and location for a facility that would offer advanced degrees for healthcare professions.
Within just a few months, the project had received $10 million in state funding, matching the amount previously committed by the Roseburg City Council. The total cost of the SOMWC is estimated to be $30 million, but that number won’t be finalized until the building site is identified and operating
cost are determined.
“Our hope is that this college turns out to be one of the greatest things to ever happen in Douglas County.”
—Wayne Patterson, UEDP executive director
Work ahead includes the Umpqua Valley Development Corporation and George Fox examining potential sites and the college diving into phases one and two of curriculum and program development.
CHI Mercy Health President/CEO Kelly Morgan, one of the visionaries behind the project, says groundbreaking for the college could be as early summer 2021. He adds that, while the ideal opening date is slated for 2023, some programs could start as early as fall 2020.
After six years of deep involvement in the project, Morgan says he’s excited to see it come to fruition and to witness the much-anticipated impact it will have on both Douglas County and rural health statewide.
Rob Felton, director of Executive Communication at George Fox, is confident that impact will be significant. “George Fox provides a great education that leads to great outcomes,” he says. “Assuming all goes well, we’ll be offering high-demand programs in an attractive part of rural Oregon.”
Why Allied and Mental Health?
Both Morgan and another key player from the start of the project, Umpqua Economic Development Partnership Executive Director Wayne Patterson, say there’s a significant demand for professionals to fill allied health positions, and it will only grow.
According to Patterson, “The profession is almost recession- proof,” and Morgan adds, “The need for healthcare workers in rural Oregon is unbelievable, and there are currently not enough training programs to meet that need; the growth and turnover are greater than the number of graduates.”
In addition, what Morgan terms a “maldistribution” of available healthcare workers around the state has created a disparity between where professionals are working and the communities most in need of them.
For this reason, Morgan says the goals of the medical college are not only to be an economic driver for Douglas County but also to train professionals ready and willing to practice in rural Oregon. Statistics show that healthcare professionals who are trained in rural Oregon are more likely to stay and work there when compared with professionals who relocate to a rural community.
What Potential Students Need to Know
Founded in 1891, George Fox University operates satellite campuses in Portland, Salem and Redmond, offers graduate programs that prepare mental health counselors, physical therapists and physician assistants, and has expanded its health care education offerings in recent years.
While the SOMWC’s degree programs have yet to be determined, George Fox’s Felton says the programs offered in Roseburg will focus on helping fill the region’s most significant workforce gaps.
“George Fox already has the capacity to offer our RN-to-BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program in Roseburg in fall 2020,” Felton says. “We are evaluating the feasibility of a number of other degree programs. Existing programs George Fox is considering offering in Roseburg include bachelor’s degree-completion programs in social work as well as a master’s in social work. We are exploring offering some portions of our physical therapy, physician assistant and counseling programs in Roseburg. We also are considering adding a future graduate program in the nursing field.”
The university’s goals for these programs are to: provide a reliable pipeline of skilled allied healthcare and mental health professionals in multiple high-demand medical fields; connect individuals to living-wage jobs through locally delivered degree programs and create economic growth and stability across the region.
“Once we have established what programs we will have, we will create a pathway for students in coordination with George Fox University and community colleges,” Morgan says. “We want to set it up so that students at our partnering community colleges will have a pathway to transfer in.”
What Veterans Need to Know
SOMWC representatives are also working in partnership with the Veterans Administration due to the same workforce shortage problem. It’s a natural collaboration, says VA Roseburg Health System Nursing Director Lisa Yop, considering her organization and Mercy often share workers.
SOMWC could potentially enroll and train some discharged veterans, then have them go to work within the VA system. A certain amount of spaces in the program would be reserved for veterans.
“It would give them a step up, and that means a lot to the VA,” says Yop. “I truly feel this medical college will open opportunities to people in our community, as well as encourage others from elsewhere in the state to come here, train and then hopefully stay and make it easier for Mercy and the VA to fill health
care workforce gaps.”
Patterson agrees. “Our hope is that this college turns out to be one of the greatest things to ever happen in Douglas County,” he says.
