TNGA Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey OK with TN taxpayers financing $100M for new Presbyterian medical college

[doeriver]

No WhiteWash! Exposing Tax, Borrow, and Spend Polices of Government!

Update: Against Building Taxpayer Funded Denominational Medical School in East TN
http://www.nowhitewash.com/2009/07/against-building-taxpayer-funded-denominational-medical-school-in-east-tn/
July 16th, 2009

King College, a denominational college located in Bristol, Tennessee, has been in discussions with Kingsport, Bristol, and Sullivan County officials to build a medical school in Kingsport and Bristol.

The cost for the medical school would be about $150 million. King is looking for $50 million to come from the cities of Kingsport ($40 million) and Bristol ($10 million), $50 million from the State of Tennessee, and the remaining $50 million from private donations.

At the July 7, 2009, Kingsport, Tennessee Board of Mayor and Alderman, a resolution was passed on first reading to endorse the King College Medical School Initiative, and pledged its commitment to work with Bristol, Sullivan County, and King College to advance the project.

While it does sound like a good project for the area, there will be a major impact on the taxpayers if this is funded via a property tax increase.

Mayor Dennis Phillips has stated that if Kingsport were to fund $40 million for the project, property taxes would have to be raised 25 cents.

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Support (King School of Medicine)
http://schoolofmedicine.king.edu/index.php?id=305



As the population ages and the supply of doctors fail to keep pace with demand, a new School of Medicine will help to alleviate the shortage. This project will greatly benefit regional health care and the economy of Upper East Tennessee.
- Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey, State of Tennessee.


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King College presents plans for $150 million medical school to Kingsport leaders
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9013656
By Matthew Lane
Published May 5th, 2009

KINGSPORT — King College on Tuesday laid out its vision of creating a $150 million school of medicine in Kingsport and Bristol by 2012 — with officials saying the economic impact of the endeavor would be transformational for the region.

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Jordan envisions the project costing $150 million — $100 million for the construction of and equipment for the two campuses, with $50 million going toward the operation of the university for the first five years. Jordan told the BMA he sees $50 million coming from Kingsport, Bristol and Sullivan County, $50 million coming from the state of Tennessee and $50 million in private donations.

One of the main reasons behind creating a medical university in Sullivan County would be to help meet the physician shortfall in the nation, which is projected to reach 200,000 by 2020.

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[doeriver]

1. Holston Medical Group pushing taxpayer financed, church affiliated medical college

Holston Medical Group still supports King's proposed medical school
http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/jan/22/holston-medical-group-still-supports-kings-propose-ar-790826/
By DAVID MCGEE
Published: January 22, 2011

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When it was first unveiled, the proposal included facilities near both of Wellmont’s tertiary care hospitals – Bristol Regional Medical Center and Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport. The current vision would place the medical school somewhere in Southwest Virginia, after that state’s tobacco commission appropriated $25 million toward its construction in late 2009. That funding requires a $25 million match.

In December, officials in Washington County, Va., and the town of Abingdon offered a combined $15 million and land in the Stone Mill Business and Technology Park to try and attract the medical school to a site near Interstate 81’s Exit 14 .

“We are pleased with the continued development of the proposed King School of Medicine and Health Sciences Center,” Jordan said. “In recent months, significant progress has been made regarding the location of the proposed school. The town of Abingdon and Washington County’s immediate recognition of the project’s potential transformational contributions to the healthcare and economic well-being of our region has been most encouraging. We are currently finalizing details related to the land donation at Stone Mill Park and look forward to a strengthened partnership with these municipalities.”

King also has inquired about the availability of the current Johnston Memorial Hospital, which is scheduled to be replaced this year with a new facility overlooking Interstate 81. Johnston Memorial is affiliated with Mountain States Health Alliance, a Wellmont competitor that has, heretofore, not supported the medical school project because of its affiliation with the Quillen School of Medicine at East Tennessee State University.

The hospital’s board is expected to make its decision about the building’s future later this month or by early February.

“We would gladly accept a gift of the Johnston Memorial Foundation should it be gifted to the project. It would make an excellent facility for allopathic medical education. However, the Foundation Board has delayed the decision from the originally discussed October timeline to sometime in January or February, so we are moving forward with a plan at Stone Mill that will allow us to include the Johnston Memorial Hospital, or not, depending on the board's decision,” Jordan wrote in a subsequent email.

The region already has medical schools in Johnson City; Pikeville, Ky.; Harrogate, Tenn.; and Blacksburg, Va., but HMG’s Fowler said a new center would provide a culture in line with his group’s goals of more preventative care.

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