St. Joseph’s Hospital, Creighton University unveil new affiliation
By Joyce Coronel | July 21, 2009 | The Catholic Sun
A partnership between St. Joseph’s Hospital Medical Center and Creighton University will establish the only Catholic medical school campus in the western United States.
St. Joseph’s Hospital, a part of Catholic Healthcare West, is Arizona’s largest hospital. Creighton, a Jesuit University located in Omaha, Neb., is one of only four Catholic medical schools in the country.
Dr. Robert P. Heaney, the interim vice-president of health sciences at Creighton, said at a joint press conference June 30 that 15 percent of all hospital beds in the country are under Catholic auspices, but that only 4 percent of U.S. medical school graduates are from the nation’s four Catholic medical schools.
“It is a win-win for everyone,” said the Jesuit Father John P. Schlegel, Creighton University president. “This academic affiliation strengthens both institutions, assures quality health care, and continues our long-term traditions of academic excellence and devotion to service as well as a commitment to Catholic values and traditions.”
The shared commitment to Catholic ideals forms the foundation of the new partnership between the two institutions.
Fr. Schlegel said that Catholic medical education must defend human dignity, the sacredness of human life and the right to health care. He also stressed the Catholic mission of bringing healthcare to the poor and marginalized.
“This is a milestone for both of our institutions and will add immeasurably to our healing mission,” Fr. Schlegel said.
Dr. John Boyd, St. Joseph's chief medical officer, said, “We think it is a wonderful opportunity to continue our faith-based mission here with a partner that has a similar mission, values and core beliefs as us.”
Since 2005, Creighton and St. Joe’s have had an agreement that sends Creighton medical students to Phoenix for one-month rotations.
Under the new affiliation, Creighton will establish a fully operational campus at St. Joseph’s Hospital that will offer two full years of clinical training. Creighton will expand its entering medical class from 126 to 152 students, starting in 2010. All students will train for their first two years in Omaha.
Beginning in 2012, 42 third-year students will move to Phoenix for their final two years of training, and 110 third-year students will remain in Omaha. The Phoenix campus will graduate its first students in 2014.
While in Phoenix, the Creighton students will study surgery, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology.
Linda Hunt, service area president for Catholic Healthcare West Arizona, said the partnership between the two Catholic institutions should bring more doctors to the Phoenix area and help solve the growing, nationwide shortage of physicians.
An October report from the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that demand for doctors will outpace supply through at least 2025, when the United States will have at least 124,000 fewer physicians than it needs.
The partnership between the two Catholic institutions has been four years in the making. The hope is that students who receive their hands-on training at the Valley hospital will choose to make Phoenix their home.
