Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation last week that commits millions in state funding to several higher education projectsintended to boost Colorado's healthcare workforce.
The University of Northern Colorado is getting $127 million for its new college of osteopathic medicine.
Reporter Michael Booth from The Colorado Sun joined KUNC's Michael Lyle, Jr. to discuss what this means for the state's healthcare system.
"The school will turn out osteopathic doctors who are trained the same as medical doctors," said Booth. "It's a really important addition to filling the medical needs gap in the state in terms of employment and for training nurses."
Booth also touched on some other major spending parts of the bill that passed the legislature and that the governor signed off on to benefit other colleges and universities across the state.
"There's going to be a new Veterinary Center at Colorado State University that is going to train more veterinarians," said Booth. "There's also going to be a new Health Training Center at Metro State with a big new building. And then for southern and southwestern Colorado, there's going to be an emphasis on nursing and a huge new medical health center Training Center at Trinidad State in Alamosa that will focus on nurses."
Booth said the programs at those various institutions are aiming to address a shortage of nurses by recruiting those who may be interested in the profession.
"Colorado has really stepped up in its training and especially in the places where the shortages are occurring," said Booth. "For someone who trains in Alamosa or in Greeley, they may still end up practicing in Denver or Boston or Minneapolis, but they're much more likely to stay home when they graduate and serve local residents — which is what we really need."
UNC's new college could be viewed as a game-changer in the state's healthcare industry, according to Booth.
"They have a large Hispanic student population, a much higher percentage than many of the universities in the state," said Booth. "So if they can provide the opportunity for that group of students to train as doctors, and then some of those folks stay home and serve local communities, obviously that fills needs and gives patients the kind of doctors and nurses and people like them that is really important to the system."
Booth added that UNC's school is certain to receive thousands of applications for those planning to enter a very demanding medical field.
The program is set to begin in the fall of 2026.
