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Northern Arizona University has announced it will launch the NAU College of Medicine. With this announcement, all three of the state鈥檚 public universities will have medical schools.

鈥淲ith the creation of NAU Health, we recommit ourselves to elevating our existing, exceptional health education programs with the goal of doubling the number of degrees awarded by NAU in the much-needed fields of nursing, health professions, and behavioral health and increasing provider availability in every nook and corner of the state,鈥�  NAU president Jos茅 Luis Cruz Rivera .

The foundation of the new medical school is part of the Arizona Board of Regents鈥� , a multifaceted approach to improving state health outcomes. The initiative includes three central goals: launch ASU and NAU鈥檚 new medical schools, double the number of graduates from UArizona鈥檚 College of Medicine, and increase the number of nursing and other health care graduates.

In partnership with the Governor鈥檚 Office, the board has also allocated $56 million to launch these initiatives. The new medical school and the financial investments 鈥渨ill close the historical healthcare gap so many Arizonans are experiencing,鈥� Gov. Hobbs last month on X, formerly known as Twitter,

ABOR also recently voted to request $153 million from the Legislature in fiscal year 2025 for the initiative, as well.

鈥淭here is not a moment to waste as Arizona must train and deploy the health care professionals our fast-growing population requires,鈥� Fred DuVal, ABOR chairman.

Arizona struggles to compete nationally on healthcare outcomes and the state鈥檚 domestic medical workforce. According to the AZ Healthy Tomorrow initiative, Arizona by 2030 requires:

• 14,000+ new registered nurses,
• 3,600+ new physicians,
• 2,400+ new behavioral health workers,
• 1,100+ new dental hygienists,
• 900+ new physical therapists,
• and 800+ occupational therapists

Furthermore, 鈥渘early 3 million Arizona residents live where there鈥檚 limited access to primary care doctors,鈥� according to Dr. G. Richard Olds, president of St. George鈥檚 University medical school and a national expert on the physician workforce. This limited access to doctors hits rural areas particularly hard.

Danny Seiden, the president and CEO of the Arizona 黑料吃瓜网 of Commerce & Industry, says a robust healthcare workforce is essential to the state鈥檚 economic growth.

鈥淗aving access to world-class health care providers helps attract job creators to Arizona,鈥� Seiden said. 鈥淭o know that each of the state鈥檚 public universities will have a medical school will not only help ensure Arizona can meet its health care needs, but it will be a major boost to our economic development prospects.鈥�