IUP inks deal with Punxsutawney Area Hospital for medical school

Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Monday signed an affiliation agreement with Punxsutawney Area Hospital to provide clinical training to students of IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.

Having access to clinical settings is among the requirements to be accredited by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.

The pact is the first clinical training affiliation agreement between IUP and a hospital or medical center, officials said.

The parties held a signing event at the hospital Monday afternoon. University, hospital and elected officials said the agreement creates educational opportunities, and its setting speaks to the college’s aim to bolster rural medicine.

“Big cities often have several health systems, while rural communities are lucky to have one within an hour’s drive,” state Rep. Brian Smith, R-Indiana County, said in a statement. “This partnership provides students an opportunity to hone their skills in rural Pennsylvania, and hopefully develop an appreciation for how vital rural hospitals are to our communities.”

In Pittsburgh, Duquesne University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is set next month to welcome the inaugural class for its school in a new headquarters on Forbes Avenue. The first day of classes for approximately 85 students is July 15, Duquesne spokesman Ken Walters said.

IUP’s new college would be the fourth such school in Pennsylvania and the first on a public university campus. In addition to Duquesne, the others include Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) with multiple campuses and a presence at Seton Hill University, and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

In December 2022, IUP trustees authorized administrators to pursue the idea. Since then, the university has hired a founding dean, identified a potential campus site and raised $23.7 million, an amount that is approximately a quarter of what is necessary to initially sustain it, according to IUP spokeswoman Michelle Fryling.

A renovated and expanded Sally Johnson Hall near the Oak Grove is being eyed as a potential site.

Setting an opening date will depend on gaining accreditation, an effort that is underway. IUP anticipates a three- to five-year process that includes submission of self-studies and a feasibility study, along with site visits.

Punxsutawney Area Hospital is a 49-bed facility in Jefferson County established 135 years ago. It serves residents of Jefferson, Clearfield and northern Indiana counties and is approximately 90 minutes northeast of Pittsburgh, according to its website.

Students pursuing a degree in osteopathic medicine usually spend two years in the classroom. Their third and fourth years are in clinical settings.

Statements released with Monday’s announcement identified benefits for both parties in encouraging more doctors to pursue work in rural medicine.

“I think the most important reason for entering into this agreement is to allow access to health care and to show young people that this is still a desirable, worthwhile and rewarding avenue,” Punxsutawney Area Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Clark Simpson said.

Sam Smith, who chairs IUP’s trustees board and is a member of the hospital’s foundation’s board, said it will build on existing health alliances.

“This agreement is great for training of IUP’s future students in a rural hospital, which is our main objective, but this also complements our hospital’s ongoing partnership with Indiana Regional Medical Center,” he said.

IUP has a regional campus in Punxsutawney and its Academy of Culinary Arts. The hospital affiliation expands on those community ties, said university President Michael Driscoll.