NEWS BRIEFS
Proposed SHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in Conroe receives candidacy status from national accreditation board
Baylor Scott &White Health, Memorial Hermann Health System halt merger
planning and resources neces- sary to move onto preaccredita- tion status within two years. In a phone interview Feb. 19, Charles Henley, dean of the new college of osteopathic medicine, said being granted candidacy status is a big mile- stone for the proposed college. “If we just keep doing what we’re doing, we’ll eventually get to the point where we can accept students and start instruction,” Henley said. The $65 million college is under construction on 7.3 acres in Conroe’s Grand Central Park; the 108,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to be complete by Dec. 31, Henley said. The AOA’s accreditation guidelines state the next step for SHSU’s College of Osteo- pathic Medicine is applying for preaccreditation status— which Henley said the college
Chuck Stokes, Memorial Hermann Health System president and CEO, said the goal of the plan was to accelerate the system’s commitments to make care more consumer-centered as well as to address what he described as an unsustain- able health care cost curve in the state. The two systems collec- tively operate 68 hospitals, 1,100 clinics and two health plans throughout Dallas, Houston and Central Texas.
BY EMMAWHALEN Two of Texas’ major not- for-profit health systems— Baylor Scott & White Health and Memorial Hermann Health System—announced Feb. 5 they will not pursue the merger announced in a letter of intent Oct. 1 that would have affected 30 Texas counties. Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, located off I-45, is among the hospitals in Memorial Hermann Health System. “We have concluded that as strong, successful orga- nizations, we are capable of achieving our visions for the future without merging at this time,” a Feb. 5 news release from Baylor Scott & White stated. When the merger was first announced in October,
BY KELLY SCHAFLER Sam Houston State Univer- sity’s proposed college of osteo- pathic medicine is one step closer to becoming a reality, as it has reached another level in the accreditation process. According to a Feb. 19 news release from SHSU, its pro- posed college of osteopathic medicine received candidate status from the American Osteopathic Association’s Com- mission on Osteopathic College Accreditation—the accredit- ing agency for colleges and programs seeking a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree. According to the AOA, receiv- ing candidate status is the second stage hopeful colleges of osteopathic medicine must meet when seeking accredita- tion from the commission. Can- didate status may be granted to colleges that demonstrate the
BUILDING plans
The four-story college includes space for a number of uses and specialties, and a second building is planned within five years. 1. Instruction 2. Research 3. Academic administration 4. Student life 5. Labs and simulation suites
Five-year plan includes a second 108,000-square-foot building including a clinic
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submitted in mid-February. He said the college could receive preaccreditation status from the commission when it meets in April or August.
MEDICAL PLAZA DR.
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Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center
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The Woodlands edition • March 2019
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