New statewide medical center seeks to grow healthcare access, workforce in Indiana

University and hospital systems are starting a new collaboration they say aims to increase the healthcare access and workforce across Indiana.

The Crossroads Academic Medical Institute involves Marian University’s medical school, Purdue University, The Catholic University of America and healthcare systems and academic partners across Indiana.

Gov. Mike Braun joined representatives from Purdue, Marian, Daviess Community Hospital and Parkview Health in announcing the initiative Tuesday in Marian’s Tom and Julie Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“By bringing together our universities, healthcare providers, and industry partners, we are creating new opportunities for Hoosiers, strengthening communities across Indiana, and ensuring our state leads the nation in developing the next generation of healthcare professionals,” Braun said.

The collaboration will be structurally non-competitive for the health networks involved, according to organizers.

One facet of the initiative is serving rural, underserved and urban communities, including through residency program development and rural health research funding.

“Rural hospitals are at the table, our large health systems are at the table and we’re cross-collaborating,” Justin Harris, CEO of Daviess Community Hospital, said. “Through these clinical training opportunities and new residency programs in the underserved areas, we will be able to bring new doctors into our communities, and we’ll be able to keep residents in our state.”

The initiative is also intended to strengthen the pipeline for physicians and other health professionals from education into careers, as well as advance research through collaboration.

University leaders believe the initiative could garner hundreds of millions in research funding. Organizers set 10-year goals of 1,300 applications and over $500 million in external grant funding.

Marian established its College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2013, joining Indiana University’s School of Medicine as the state’s medical schools.