The Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University has formed a five-year clinical affiliation with MidState Medical Center, a Hartford HealthCare partner, in Meriden.
“The School of Medicine needs high quality clinic experiences for our students. I am confident that the physicians and staff at MidState Medical Center will provide these experiences,” said Dr. Bruce Koeppen, founding dean of the School of Medicine.
Students will complete clinical rotations with required supervision at the Meriden hospital beginning in the summer of 2015, and physicians working with the students will be appointed clinical professors at the School of Medicine.
“MidState Medical Center shares our commitment to primary care and interprofessional education of the health care team,” Koeppen said. “They were an obvious choice for a clinical affiliate.”
Harold Kaplan, vice president for medical affairs at MidState Medical Center, said he is excited about the affiliation.
“Medical education, for the past century, has been built on the tradition of learning from those ahead of you, while teaching those behind you,” Kaplan said. “Our medical staff is excited and pleased to have, with the new Netter School, this opportunity to carry on an honored tradition.”
Cindy Russo, senior vice president of operations at MidState Medical Center, said the affiliation helps to ensure access to care for the hospital’s patients and communities the facility serves.
“Assuring access to primary care is crucial to assuring comprehensive quality and cost effective health care,” Russo said. “MidState has had a strong relationship with Quinnipiac for a number of years through our affiliations with the School of Nursing, physician assistant program [in the School of Health Sciences] and others. The unique team approach and model being promoted through our affiliation with the School of Medicine will not only strengthen these existing partnerships but will also help to assure that all of the skills needed to address today's health care needs are met.”
MidState Medical Center, and two or three hospitals still to be named, will supplement St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, the medical school’s principal clinical partner.
“Having multiple clinical affiliates benefits students in two important ways,” Koeppen said. “First, it reduces the number of students at any given site, thus providing students with more patient contact and experiences. Second, it provides students with a perspective of how high quality patient care can be provided in different settings.”
In January 2010, Quinnipiac began the complex accreditation process to establish a medical school with an emphasis on primary care on its North Haven Campus. The university plans to enroll the charter class by fall 2013.
