Note: this editorial was published in the September 27, 2020 edition of the Toledo Blade.
I’m a self-described lifelong learner. Since I arrived in Toledo two months ago, I have learned a great deal about this community, its leaders, and the people who make it an amazing place to live, work, learn, and enjoy. Above all, I have learned that there is a great deal of heart in this community.
With nearly 150 years of service to our community, The University of Toledo — Toledo’s only public research university — is home to the College of Medicine and Life Sciences and the University of Toledo Medical Center, which was the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital. While often misrepresented and inaccurately interchanged, the two entities fulfill distinctively different missions in northwest Ohio.
UToledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences is one of 13 academic colleges committed to providing students a world-class education, and one of three academic colleges housed on the UToledo Health Science Campus. The college is home to some 700 learners, similar in size to the University of Michigan’s Medical School, and offers LCME-accredited medical and graduate degrees, as well as premed, residency, and fellowship programs. As part of the university’s academic enterprise, the College of Medicine receives public funding through Ohio’s state share of instruction and tuition.
UTMC, the University’s community-focused teaching hospital with 247 beds, operates as a separate entity with a mission to provide patient-centered, university-quality health care. It’s funded by reimbursable patient services, not state funding. Also located on the University’s Health Science Campus, UTMC provides clinical learning experiences for some 200 health-care learners from the university’s Colleges of Health and Human Services, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.
In the past, UTMC had been the university’s primary clinical training site, but because of its small size there has always been the need to partner with other health-care entities to provide enough learning opportunities for our students.
In 2015 UToledo, sought out a partnership with ProMedica, a locally managed hospital system, to provide learners access to the necessary patient volume needed to support the rapidly growing College of Medicine. The Academic Affiliation Agreement has increased and strengthened the clinical training experiences for our medical learners and is successfully building a pipeline of physicians for our region. Despite pundits’ criticism, the agreement was, and continues to be, a vital partnership for the continued success of our College of Medicine and health care in our region.
Meanwhile, UToledo leadership, including the Board of Trustees, have worked tirelessly the last several years to stabilize UTMC. As the only remaining independent hospital in our community, UTMC faces significant challenges as market shifts in health care favor large, corporate health systems. Our hospital has a unique and vital role in Toledo. While we are known leaders in specialties like orthopaedics, cancer treatment, and behavioral health, we also provide critical care for our community through our emergency department and primary care physicians.
Our stabilization efforts continue as we look ahead to expand Medicaid financing opportunities, our 340B pharmacy program and adding behavioral health offerings that are critically needed in our community. We also continue to look at ways to enhance our partnerships with the Toledo Clinic and Veterans Affairs.
An important part of those efforts is you trusting us with your care. If you need a specialist in cardiology, orthopaedics, or urology, we’re here for you. If you or your family need medical care, our outstanding primary care physicians at the Comprehensive Care Clinic are ready to care for you. And while I hope you don’t need it, we’re here for you in the event of an emergency. I also encourage you to refer your friends and family to receive outstanding service from our team at UTMC.
I continue to be amazed by the passion and support for the University and our hospital. Toledo is lucky to have a public research university with a community hospital. The goals of the UToledo College of Medicine and UTMC are not mutually exclusive. With the help of local, state, and federal officials, both the college and hospital can succeed. It has never been a question of either/or. We can have both a successful academic affiliation that strengthens our College of Medicine and a strong UTMC community hospital. You can help us make both a reality, and in doing so, improve health-care access throughout our region.
Gregory Postel, M.D., is the interim president of the University of Toledo.