New Medical School to Begin Construction

Utah's second medical school will undergo construction a little less than six weeks from now. The Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Southern Utah, is slated to open in Ivins during the summer of 2017. This is when, according The Spectrum, the first class of 125 students will be admitted into the program.

The facility will be built on a 30-acre parcel of land on the northeast corner of the intersection of Center Street, officials said.

The Snow Canyon Clinic has also been acquired by the university to use as administrative office space and future clinical practices. The clinic will serve as the location to interview prospective medical students starting in September.

David Park, Dean and Southern Utah Campus Chief Academic Officer, said the University considered locations in St. George and Cedar City but ultimately settled on Ivins as the location for the medical school. The hope is that upon graduation, students will stay in the area, which is otherwise under-served as far as physicians go.

Construction of this facility marks yet another example of the growth Utah is experiencing all through the state.