The Fort Smith Regional Healthcare Foundation is looking into opening an osteopathic medical school in Fort Smith.
The foundation is hiring contractors to do a feasibility study to determine whether there is a need for an osteopathic school in the region, said Kyle Parker, chairman for the foundation. The Fort Smith Regional Healthcare Foundation is the former Sparks Health System foundation. It focuses on researching and providing health-care services in the Fort Smith region.
Parker said an osteopathic school could help meet a demand for doctors in the state.
“We are right on the edge of a health-care crisis in this country,” Parker said. “My feeling personally is that there are just basic values that people need, and healthcare is high on that list.”
A 2011 report from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Center for Rural Health estimated that there were 514 primary-care physician vacancies in 2011 in Arkansas. It projected there would be 860 vacancies by 2016.
“Arkansas ranked 48th among states in physicians per capita with 189 physicians per 100,000 population in 2008, which was below the national ratio of 245.5 active physicians per 100,000,” the report states.
An issue brief from the American Osteopathic Association states that 60 percent of osteopathic doctors practice in primary-care specialties such as family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/ gynecology and pediatrics.
“Many DOs [osteopathic physicians] meet a critical need by practicing in rural and medically under-served areas,” the brief states.
Osteopathic physicians complete four years of basic medical education, obtain graduate medical education, pass examinations and are accredited the same as doctors of medicine, the American Osteopathic Association website states. However, osteopathic physicians practice a “whole person” approach, according to the site. One example is they receive additional training in the musculoskeletal system - the body’s nerves, muscles and bones.
Tom Webb, executive director of the Fort Smith Regional Healthcare Foundation, said a feasibility study could take three to four months. He said the study results would then be presented to the board. If the board chooses to move forward, it could take another couple of years for the school to prepare for accreditation.
“The process moves pretty slow,” Webb said. “The accreditation process is very specific.”
The school would be developed as a private, nonprofit entity. It is unknown who would operate the school, Webb said. He said it is possible that another organization will partner with the foundation to run the school.
Parker said preliminary plans estimate 150 students entering the school each year.
Frazier Edwards, executive director of the Arkansas Osteopathic Medical Association, said preliminary research shows that Fort Smith is a feasible location for an osteopathic school.
“The community support within Fort Smith that came forward to help with the project gave us reason to believe that it was the best location,” Edwards said. “This will be the first osteopathic medical school in the state, if it happens. The closest ones would be Tulsa or Kansas City.”
Arkansas State University in Jonesboro has also been looking into opening an osteopathic medical school. It contracted with Tripp Umbach, a consulting firm, to conduct a feasibility study in September.
Jeff Hankins, spokesman for the university, said officials have received unofficial oral briefings recently that are encouraging.
“We present the study and its results when it is completed,” Hankins said. “We remain committed to the development of a medical school. The need for more primary physicians is clear, and Arkansas State is well-located to help.”
In June, the university announced its plans to explore the feasibility for an osteopathic school.
Arkansas, Pages 18 on 12/29/2013