College touts PA program to Voinovich
By Sam Shawver, Special to The NewsMARIETTA - A training program exists at Marietta College for one of the nation's fastest-growing health professions, thanks largely to startup funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
"We started our physician assistant program with a $200,000 grant from ARC and have graduated five classes since 2002," Gloria Stewart with Marietta College's PA program told U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, Wednesday morning.
The senator met with local health care and education officials at Marietta Memorial Hospital for a roundtable discussion on issues related to development of health care training programs and facilities.
Stewart said the Marietta College PA program has attracted students from across the country, but an increasing number of graduates choose to stay in Ohio. She noted that physician assistant was ranked the fourth fastest-growing profession in the U.S. in 2007.
"And we had more than 400 applications for 22 openings in the program last year," Stewart said. "I think that nationally, PA programs will be important in helping to solve the shortage of health care professionals."
Voinovich said such success stories show how much the ARC means to the local community.
"Right now we're working on a five-year reauthorization of the ARC program with $510 million, and I feel confident we'll get it through," he said.
"This is my sixth tour in the Marietta area to get out and meet the people who benefit from this program," Voinovich said. "And we need to underscore for our citizens the importance of ARC funding for this region."
In addition to the Marietta College PA program, ARC monies have also played a role in developing the Washington State Community College health education program, as well as providing support for initiatives at Marietta Memorial Hospital.
"You have given us the ability to start several programs," Washington State President Charlotte Hatfield said. "There's a national nursing shortage, and ARC funding enabled us to add to our nursing program and helped us purchase new equipment."
Joyce Joy, director of nursing education at Washington State, said the school's evening registered nurse program has grown from six to 15 graduates.
"It's a part-time evening program, and our students are (licensed practical nurses) who work full time," she said. "They graduate after two years as registered nurses."
Larry Unroe, chief executive officer at Marietta Memorial Hospital, said both schools play an important role in helping provide health care for the community.
"We're very fortunate to have two local institutions with health education programs," he said. "Without those programs, it would be much more difficult for us to recruit health care professionals."
Voinovich said recent ARC funding of $415,000 supported development of Memorial's South Pavilion with expanded emergency services and operating rooms.
Dr. Srini Vasan, with the hospital's Strecker Cancer Center, gave a presentation on the $3.5 million tomotherapy unit for which the ARC provided $250,000. He said the new equipment would replace a linear accelerator the hospital has had since the early 1990s.
"(With the tomography unit) we will use the same machine to detect and treat cancers," Vasan said. "The unit precisely targets radiation on tumors without affecting surrounding areas of the body."
Vasan said the hospital would be the fifth in the state to have a tomography unit. He noted that such technology is important as cancer rates are higher in Washington County than other areas of the state and increased fuel prices are making it difficult for local patients to travel to Columbus or other areas for treatment.
Unroe told Voinovich that funding is needed to enable Memorial and Selby General Hospital to blend patient information systems after their recent affiliation. He said the hospitals would also like to eventually link private physicians into the information systems.
Although he is confident ARC will be funded for another five years, Voinovich expressed concern for the program in the long term if federal spending continues on its present course.
"We can't continue to hide our debt in a drawer," he said. "And if we continue the current government spending, by 2030 there could be no ARC."
