The EKU initiative is moving toward budget and program approvals, with accreditation from COCA on the horizon, as part of the next steps.

The program aims to become Kentucky’s first public osteopathic medical school, addressing the state’s physician shortage, especially in rural and underserved areas.

EKU notes that about three-quarters of its health graduates find employment in Kentucky within three years, highlighting its role in strengthening the state’s healthcare workforce.

State leaders, including EKU’s president and the Speaker Pro Tem, stressed expanding access to medical care and keeping Kentucky-trained physicians in the state.

Kentucky has large medically underserved populations, with over two million residents in underserved areas; 48 counties lack pediatricians, and rural areas house 40% of residents but only 17% of primary care physicians.

CPE unanimously approved advancing the funding request in line with Senate Bill 77, underscoring EKU’s track record of producing health care practitioners and meeting state needs.

Student perspective: Hannah Gaddis, an EKU pre-med student from London, Kentucky, supports establishing a nearby D.O. program to enable education and eventual practice in the region.