Attendance at the University Senate meeting at Sullivant Hall on Nov. 13. Credit: Helena Hennessy | Lantern Reporter
The Ohio State University Senate approved a proposal to establish the Appalachian and Rural Center for Health at a meeting this past Thursday.
This new center will aim to expand the university’s clinical and research outreach in both Appalachian and rural areas throughout Ohio.
This proposal came from the Council on Academic Affairs. Council chair and presenter Sue Sutherland said ARCH’s mission aligns with both the Wexner Medical Center and the university’s strategic plans.
“Ohio ranks ninth for the least healthy population and has the fourth largest rural population in the U.S.,” Sutherland said. “The mission of [ARCH] is to extend [Ohio State’s] clinical, educational and research capacity to rural and Appalachian partners, joining forces to create sustainable health care solutions.”
The proposal outlined the next two fiscal years, which includes a discovery phase to determine and implement priority projects, grow regional partners and provide opportunities for student involvement and education, Sutherland said.
ARCH will identify three to four inaugural Appalachian and rural community partners in the first year, with the intent of having a presence within seven communities by the end of the second year, Sutherland said.
“These communities will be chosen based on geographic location and already having an existing health care partner with the [Wexner] Medical Center,” Sutherland said.
According to Lori Criss, rural and Appalachian health lead at Wexner Medical Center, ARCH aims to align its interests with the Ohio State community to advance health outcomes within the state of Ohio.
“It’s really acting as a connector between the expertise that exists on campus with learning, innovation, workforce development, research and the needs in the communities that we’re working with, as identified by the communities,” Criss said.
In further discussion, Claire Verschraegen, professor in the College of Medicine, said research is critical within this developmental stage, as it will inform the correct standard of care to apply in these communities.
In response, Andrew Thomas, Wexner Medical Center’s chief clinical officer, who will oversee ARCH’s executive director, said the center is still in its early stages.
“Our goal is to create a really big table, to have a lot of people come to the table, and then we can frame and shape this work moving forward,” Thomas said.
Thomas said ARCH’s research priorities will be determined by the needs of local communities.
“A lot of this work is going to be driven by our local partners, the problems that they’ve identified and the solutions that we will work with them to develop for their communities, as opposed to having all the solutions as we sit down at the table,” Thomas said.
Sutherland said Wexner Medical Center has committed to a budget of $2.4 million for the first fiscal year and $3.2 million for the second.
