A Valley legislator offered praise this week for contributions a Clovis medical school is making to address health care disparities across the region.

State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, visited the College of Osteopathic Medicine at California Health Science University, getting a close up look at the cutting edge technology available to the school’s medical students.

She emphasized the role CHSU is playing to encourage aspiring medical professionals to remain local after graduation.

“We are experiencing a healthcare provider shortage in the Central Valley,” said Hurtado. “The programs that California Health Sciences University offers will help give students in the Central Valley and nearby rural areas the opportunity to attend school near their homes and help keep providers here.”

CHSU’S Top Medical Technology

Hurtado toured the inpatient wing of CHSU’s simulation center, which is designed to replicate an actual hospital setting. She met “Pedro” and ‘”Torri” who belong to a family of high-fidelity, tetherless training mannequins.

They’re programmed to exhibit human-like qualities including heart beat pulse, breathing, blinking, moving, talking, crying and other characteristics to help medical students experience an interactive learning environment.

CHSU Hopes to Expand Medical Workforce

During Hurtado’s visit, CHSU President Flo Dunn elaborated on the initiatives CHSU expects to partake in to increase residency slots in their medical programs by offering local, doctoral level education to students in the area.

During the tour, Hurtado also met with a medical student from her district enrolled at the university.

“Healthcare providers who are trained in their community, are more likely to stay which will help alleviate the healthcare shortages we so often face,” Hurtado said.

The university is exploring ways in which CHSU students can have access to financial aid, scholarships, and debt forgiveness as well as implementing pathways for high school and community college students who would like to attend either pharmacy or medical school.

CHSU was founded in 2012 by the Assemi family with the goal to provide quality healthcare to rural and underdeveloped communities.  (Darius Assemi is the publisher of GV Wire and serves on the university’s board of trustees.)