What's Happening in Stockton, CA…

The University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton has received support from the Stockton City Council in its bid for $7m from the federal government to purchase equipment for its prospective medical school.

UOP has been exploring the need and viability of a medical school in Stockton since last fall. It is projected that California will face a shortage of 20% of physicians by the next decade. Christopher Callahan, president of UOP, said this is worse in the Central Valley and partially due to the lack of medical schools in the region. Callahan added that a medical school at UOP would go a long way to addressing the disparities in healthcare that many people in the city and the region face by creating a community of doctors who are trained in the region.

The new medical school, spanning 100,000 square feet, is expected to cost $85m to build that would include equipment and technology, with operating costs of $65m over its first decade.

It is also expected that the first cohort of medical students will be able to attend the school in less than five years, starting with 60 students in Fall 2030 and increasing in less than 10 years to 400.

News of such potential schools and their benefits for a city and region can be made known with flyer printing.