The partnership will affiliate Kettering Health’s clinical system with Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, creating a joint Health Innovations Hub and advancing healthcare workforce development.
Ohio University and Kettering Health have built upon their longstanding relationship to form a new partnership that will affiliate the Kettering Health clinical health system with Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. The goal of the affiliation is to advance healthcare workforce development and improve the landscape of patient care in the region.
According to an article on Ohio University’s website, Ken Johnson, D.O., who serves as the vice president of health affairs and senior strategist for health partnerships at Ohio University, was quoted as saying of the partnership, “Ohio University recruits and trains more physicians than any other university in the state and is one of the state’s largest providers of healthcare professionals. Most of our medical students remain in the state to practice medicine, helping to fill critical gaps in the health care workforce. We are excited for this opportunity to help meet the needs of southwest Ohio. Bringing together Kettering Health’s clinical excellence and the Heritage College’s academic leadership will create a stronger pipeline to recruit and retain medical and health professions students from Southwest Ohio.”
The partnership includes academic, research, and clinical affiliation that will help improve the region’s patient care landscape, as well as its workforce and level of innovation. Kettering Health and Ohio University will be forming a joint Health Innovations Hub that will combine the resources of both institutions to advance research and innovation. The university and Kettering Health will also look into creating a Ohio University Heritage College campus within Kettering Health’s system.
Steven Crawford, MD, who serves as the chief medical officer of Kettering Health Medical Group, said, “Integrated education, research, and clinical care amplify impact. This affiliation allows us to train physicians in real-world settings, advance research that directly informs patient care and expand access where the need is greatest.”
The state of Ohio has a set of Priority Goals, as identified by the Department of Medicaid, that the affiliation will seek to address, including improving maternal and infant health, chronic disease management, and behavioral health.
Mike Gentry, the president and CEO of Kettering Health, said of the partnership, “This affiliation is focused on improving health for the people of Ohio. By scaling a trusted relationship with the HCOM, we’ll grow the healthcare workforce, expand access to care, and support statewide health priorities through education, research and clinical innovation.”
For more information about Ohio University, visit the school’s website.