Leaders from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine presented a proposal Tuesday to Shasta County supervisors outlining how the university could establish a medical education program in the region.
UC Davis officials said the university has worked in Shasta County for more than 50 years, helping coordinate local residency programs that have trained more than 300 doctors.
Debbie Lupeika, associate dean of rural and community-based education, said UC Davis has already received approval to establish a branch campus in Northern California.
“Davis is going to have a branch campus in the North State somewhere," she said. "But we need to partner with the community that wants to partner with us.”
She said Redding is an attractive option.
Shasta County Supervisors have been exploring ways to bring a medical school to the area to address the shortage of rural physicians.
The county has also received a proposal from Simpson University, a private, Christian school based in Redding.
While Simpson previously asked for a $10 million county contribution, County Supervisor Kevin Crye said he was told the university is now seeking the money elsewhere.
Lupeika said UC Davis is open to partnering with Simpson on a program. The two institutions have already worked together on student pathway programs for medicine in Shasta County.
Under the UC Davis proposal, the county would need to help fund the school.
"I think some communities are worried they have to shoulder the whole burden, that's not it, it's half and half," said Lupeika. "So Davis will contribute, the community needs to contribute. Sometimes that's buildings."
UC Davis' plan would be a slower start than what Simpson has proposed. A branch campus in the North State would start with about six to 12 students. Students would complete the first two years in Sacramento, followed by two years in Redding.
University officials said the goal would be to expand enrollment and eventually develop a full four-year regional school, a process expected to take a decade.
Simpson proposed campus would open in 2030, with a starting class of 150 to 200 students.
County Supervisor Matt Plummer pointed to the success of other branch-campus medical schools, such as UCSF Fresno and the UC Riverside School of Medicine, which began as a branch of UCLA.
"There's a precedent across the state for starting a small branch campus and growing that to a medical school that's fully established, independent, and hundreds of students," he said.
The county is deciding whether to allocate funds to the project during budget discussions next month.
