A medical school funded by $15 million in state grants will be built at Seton Hill University in Greensburg and operated by the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The Erie-based medical school will open a branch campus by fall 2009 that will use Excela Health to provide clinical training for 400 medical students, said Pierre Belicini, a spokesman for the college.
"We have received preliminary approval from the American Osteopathic Association to proceed with expanding our campus to Seton Hill University," he said Tuesday. "We received verbal approval Monday, and we're awaiting final approval."
Belicini said Greensburg will be the third campus in the school's system. In addition to Erie, the college has a campus in Bradenton, Fla.
The 15-year-old medical school trains physicians in osteopathic medicine and has 1,560 students, the largest enrollment of any medical school in the United States, he said.
The college also trains pharmacists and offers a master's degree in medical education.
Belicini estimates Lake Erie will enroll 100 students per class for the four-year training program at Seton Hill.
The program is expected to be funded through the state's capital budget, which contains a provision for a $15 million appropriation to build a medical school.
When the Jesuit-run University of Scranton announced in 2006 it would build a medical school, it was funded by a $35 million state grant.
Michael Race, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said Lake Erie falls under its auspices, but he could not immediately determine if the school has applied to expand into Greensburg.
"They do need our approval," Race said.
Osteopaths are similar to medical doctors. They must graduate from an accredited four-year medical school, pass a licensing exam, and spendthree to six years in internships or residencies certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Osteopaths receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system because they use osteopathic manipulative treatment on muscles and joints.
There are more than 59,000 osteopaths practicing in the United States. Pennsylvania has more than 5,400, the most osteopathic physicians in the country, according to the American Osteopathic Association.
In addition to Lake Erie, there is the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Bellicini said Excela Health will play a role in training medical students.
"Excela has been very good in working with us," he added.
Excela has a residency program and operates a school of anesthesia that offers a master's degree in nurse anesthesia with St. Vincent College.
Seton Hill and Excela officials did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.
The former Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant and Latrobe Area Hospital comprise Excela Health. On Thursday, Mercy Jeannette Hospital will become part of the system.
The partnership with Seton Hill could be a good fit for Lake Erie.
In addition to courses in pre-professional health sciences, such as medicine, dentistry, osteopathic and podiatry medicine, the university has a master's program for physician assistants.
Seton Hill became a university in 2002 after decades as an all-women's college. With an enrollment of about 2,000, the school is run by the Sisters of Charity.
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