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In the NoCo

There's a doctor shortage in Colorado. UNC's new medical school hopes to address that

An artist's rendering of University of Northern Colorado's College of Osteopathic Medicine. A person walks by a three-story building with the letters "U N C" at the top.
University of Northern Colorado
/
Courtesy of UNC
An artist's rendering of University of Northern Colorado's College of Osteopathic Medicine shows one possibility of the building's design May 1, 2024. The college will become Colorado's third medical school and is part of a $247 million legislative package geared toward expanding health care programs at higher education institutions across the state amid a severe workforce shortage.

Patients in Colorado feel the brunt of a growing healthcare crisis every day. There’s a shortage of primary care doctors and other health care workers in most Colorado counties – and that has an especially big impact on low-income and rural communities.

That physician shortage is projected to get even worse, with roughly a third of doctors in the state aged 60 or older, and nearing retirement – according to a recent report by the American Association of Medical Colleges.

To help boost the number of primary care doctors, a new medical school – just the third one in Colorado – is being built at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. UNC officials celebrated the groundbreaking for the new College of Osteopathic Medicine on September 28. The new school has a price tag of around $200 million, and will eventually graduate 150 new doctors each year when it opens in 2026.

ITN host Erin O’Toole spoke with the founding dean of the new medical school, Dr. Beth Longenecker, back in May when the school was first announced. Today we’re listening back to that conversation.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.