Arnot Health and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine jointly announced today that the healthcare system, which comprises three hospitals and a 170+ provider medical practice group, is the newest teaching site for medical students, residents and fellows from the nation’s largest medical college. System leaders, as well as administrators from LECOM and medical students currently rotating through Arnot Health facilities, made statements to media this afternoon at a press conference featuring the announcement, celebrating the transformation of the system to an academic environment as well as a major gift of $25,000 from LECOM to the Arnot Ogden Medical Center Foundation.
| Arnot Health CEO Anthony Cooper announces the new teaching affiliation agreement that brings LECOM students and future residents to the systems three hospitals. L-R: John Booth III, President of the Arnot Ogden Medical Center Foundation, LECOM Provost Silvia Ferretti,DO, President John Ferretti,DO, LECOM Regional Dean Richard Terry, DO, Anthony J. Cooper, CEO of Arnot Health, and William E. Huffner, MD, Arnot Health Chief Medical Officer and Vice President Medical. |
“Having students, and later, residents and fellows, in our facilities will make us stronger, enhancing the patient experience and helping our organization maintain its position as a leader in the provision of quality healthcare in our region,” said Anthony J. Cooper, FACHE, CEO, Arnot Health. He added that the financial support will help Arnot Health cover costs associated with the transformation to an academic healthcare system.
The program is also expected to help the system recruit and retain providers to the area.
“LECOM has graduated more than 3,000 osteopathic physicians, the majority of whom become primary care physicians,” said William E. Huffner, MD, MBA, FACEP, FACHE, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Medical Affairs, Arnot Health. “The entire nation is experiencing a shortage of this type of care practitioner, and we expect that training students in our facilities and our offices will better position us to get and keep providers in our area.”
LECOM officials said Arnot Health, given its size and geographic area served, can provide a unique and valuable experience to many of its students.
“Combining quality, specialty healthcare in a community setting with hands-on training and direct mentorship from highly skilled and experienced providers at Arnot Health facilities will make our students into the best doctors they can be,” said Richard Terry, DO, MBA, FAAFP, FACOFP, Assistant Dean of Regional Clinical Education at LECOM and Director of Graduate Medical Education at Arnot Health. “Arnot Health is now one of the largest osteopathic medicine training sites in the country.”
Members of the current class of students at Arnot Health are completing rotations in family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, pediatrics and psychiatry at Arnot Ogden Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital, and the Arnot Medical Services offices over the next 10 months. The problem-based learning format of the program also requires students to present patient cases and participate in facilitated discussion sessions with the medical staff. Patients receiving care at these locations can expect to interact with the students, who will take patient histories and perform exams, as well as attend rounds and surgery with the physicians.
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine offers innovative and affordable education in osteopathic medicine, dental medicine and pharmacy. From campuses in Erie, Pa., Greensburg, Pa., and Bradenton, Fla., LECOM provides student-centered pathways to prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit https://lecom.edu.
The Lake Erie Consortium for Osteopathic Medical Trainingprovides interns and residents with a variety of internship and residency programs. Post-doctoral programs are available at LECOMT affiliated hospitals in Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Indiana, and New York. For more information, please call (814) 866-8136.
Arnot Health provides diagnostic, ambulatory, secondary and tertiary acute care, as well as rehabilitative and wellness services to the Southern Tier of New York and the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania. The three-hospital regional healthcare system, an independent, not-for-profit organization, has a total of 809 licensed beds, including 493 acute care, 231 long term care, 40 physical medicine rehabilitation, 25 psychiatric, and 20 substance abuse rehabilitation. The system currently has more than 300 physicians from 50+ specialties.