A rendering of the new Ponce Health Sciences University medical school in North St. Louis, MO.
ST. LOUIS, MO— Ponce Health Sciences University recently announced plans to build an $80-million medical school campus in the heart of M Property Services' NorthSide Regeneration development in North St. Louis.
The school will support up to 1,200 students and create up to 120 staff and faculty positions in the St. Louis area. Ponce Health Services University stated that construction is set to begin later this year or in early 2021.
The new campus will expand PHSU's current educational programs in St. Louis by offering a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program and will create more opportunities for students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds to access medical education and build careers in healthcare. PHSU-St. Louis was established in 2018 and currently offers accredited health science programs (a Master of Science in Medical Sciences and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) at its facility in the Globe Building in Downtown St. Louis.
The new medical school campus will be located in North St. Louis near Jefferson and Cass avenues on the former Pruitt-Igoe site and is one of several projects underway within the NorthSide Regeneration development, which also includes a new $1.75-billion National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency West headquarters currently under construction. The school is tentatively scheduled to open in fall 2021.
PHSU President Dr. David Lenihan said North St. Louis was the ideal location for the new campus because of its diverse pool of talented prospective students, access to highly credentialed educators and a pressing need for medical and psychological health professionals.
"In rural Missouri, we know we have problems getting doctors working in these areas. We know we have problems getting physicians and healthcare workers working in North St. Louis and urban parts of the state. We must take action," said Dr. Lenihan. "We build the resources where they're needed."
M Property Services Chairman and CEO Paul McKee, Jr. said he has been working diligently with PHSU representatives for years to make healthcare a reality for North St. Louis, as part of his NorthSide Regeneration development.
"When we started working in the NorthSide, we discovered there were several deserts such as no grocery store, no 24/7 healthcare, safety/security was an issue and there was a digital divide. We have built a GreenLeaf Market to solve the food desert and now we have the hospital and medical school pieces underway to provide 24/7 healthcare," McKee stated. "Ponce Health Sciences University is going to be significant to our town."
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John Jordan
John Jordan is a veteran journalist with 36 years of print and digital media experience.
