Alabama prepares to open public health boarding school; top-notch set for 2026 • Alabama Reflector

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ health care-focused secondary school initiative is providing $26 million of the estimated $80 million needed to build the residence hall and campus facilities. The groundbreaking is expected in mid-2025. The five-story residence hall will be the tallest building in Demopolis. Pearson said the school is the only rural residential school funded by Bloomberg.

There is a significant shortage of health care providers in rural Alabama, with rural counties having far fewer primary care physicians per capita than urban areas. As the rural population declines, particularly in the Black Belt, older adults are left behind and face increasing barriers to accessing healthcare. In 2020, Alabama averaged one doctor for every 1,520 residents, but in rural counties like Wilcox and Lowndes the ratios are far worse, with one doctor serving 5,103 and 9,641 residents, respectively.

This provider shortage leads to health disparities. The Black Belt has some of the worst health outcomes in the state, and Alabama already ranks among the worst nationally. Life expectancy in every Black Belt county is below the national average of nearly 75 years, with Wilcox County residents living to an average of 69.8 years.

The board will convene a curriculum committee in December to finalize curriculum requirements consistent with high school graduation requirements and health certifications that will be presented to the board for discussion, Pearson said. He added that the curriculum will include partnerships with community colleges and regional hospitals where students can receive clinical hours.

State Superintendent Eric Mackey said the school’s recruiting strategy will focus on attracting students from across the state to build a workforce pipeline beyond those who want to attend medical school such as nursing.

“Essentially all recruitment will be done in middle schools and if you tell people ‘Send your child to boarding school at 14’ and ‘Here’s what we offer’ then you have to have a pretty robust package, to get people to do that,” Mackey said.

The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences will join a network of specialized boarding schools including the Alabama School of Cyber ​​Technology and Engineering.

Pearson expressed optimism for the project despite the challenges.

“Bloomberg is really excited to see how this goes because this could become a model across the country. Their goal is to perfect the 9th to 12th experience to meet the healthcare needs of the future,” said Pearson.

Gov. Kay Ivey initially proposed the school in her 2023 State of the State address, portraying it as a way to address the state’s critical shortage of health care workers “to fill a broad range of health care jobs or to pursue higher education.” complete”.

The board plans to meet again in February 2025 to review progress in the presidential search and curriculum development.