NEOMED among 2 medical schools to receive state funding in battle to recruit and keep high-quality students in Ohio

ROOTSTOWN, Ohio — According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the U.S. will be facing a shortage of 139,000 physicians by 2033.

Mary Taylor, VP of Operations and Finance at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), says they need more support from the state legislature in order to help curb shortages on campus and compete on a larger scale.

“We work closely with all of the regional hospitals and in fact, across the state of Ohio. So, we want to make sure that we have the most up to date equipment and the most up to date training opportunities for our students so we can compete with other universities across the state and across the country to attract high quality students who are looking to stay here in Ohio and to practice,” Taylor said. “Obviously over this last year, if we've learned anything, we've learned the importance of having highly qualified, highly trained medical professionals.”

Now, the university is getting the help it needs.

The State Controlling Board approved nearly $400,000 going towards the school's renovation project, work based training and equipment. Lakeland Community College (LCC) in Kirtland is set to receive $131,000.

State representative Gail Pavliga of Portage County, who helped secure the funding, says, "this is an investment into higher education, our students, and our future workforce of Ohio.”

State Representative Jamie Callender, who helped secure LCC’s funding added, “skilled workers in healthcare are in high demand and these funds will help make sure today’s students in the medical field receive the best training possible."