By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Western State University will work with UMKC to bring a new dental clinic to St. Joseph.
Missouri Western President Elizabeth Kennedy says the opportunity for the university to partner with the University of Missouri Kansas City is exciting, particularly after the work UMKC has accomplished with Mosaic Life Care on its medical school in St. Joseph
"We started conversations maybe a year and a half ago, just hey what do you think about this idea? How could we do it? Where might we put it?" Kennedy tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "And of course funding, it's a $12 million, so funding is going to be key, but I think the opportunity for Missouri Western to expand our footprint if you will into the healthcare area."
Kennedy says the university works closely with Mosaic to expand in that area, and this provides another educational opportunity.
Kennedy says the prospect of this program is exciting. And she's most excited about having a functioning dental clinic on campus.
"That will be able to serve the community members as well as our employees, our students, and that's also so important because having those services available to the community at a clinic rate as such as what they're planning is going to be huge," Kennedy explains.
Kennedy says it's been wonderful working with UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal and is eager to get the program moving forward.
Kennedy says a goal of the program, much like with the UMKC School of Medicine in St. Joseph, is to keep students in rural Missouri
"To expand the dental services in both programs for the graduates so that htey stay in rural communities, so they stay and live in areas like St. Joseph," Kennedy says. "For our students that are interested in going into a field, it certainly provides another opportunity for them to participate with UMKC and that program and then graduate as a dentist from that dental school."
Work must be done before it becomes a reality. UMKC proposes a $12 million renovation of space at Missouri Western. It needs approval for the program and needs to raise the money.
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