The governing boards of both The College of William & Mary and Eastern Virginia Medical School passed resolutions this week to request state funding to finance their continued study to possibly partner.
Together, the boards are asking the state for $1 million, to be included in the state’s 2013-14 budget as an amendment. In the language of the resolution, the colleges request an appropriation so that “the two shall address and evaluate options for the appropriate relationship between the two institutions and the clinical affiliates of EVMS to improve the health of citizens of Greater Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth and to meet the region’s healthcare workforce needs.”
While the joint resolution formalizes the two schools’ agreement to explore collaboration, it does not promise a full union or that EVMS will definitely become The College of William & Mary School of Medicine, an idea first announced July 25. Provost Michael Halleran, who is leading W&M’s due diligence effort, said there is not a firm timeline to make decisions. “We think there is a great deal of potential here and this is a meaningful first step,” he told W&M News.
After the W&M board unanimously approved the resolution, Halleran said the funding would allow the two schools to pursue an initiative in healthcare delivery science, exploring what it takes to produce high quality care, get access to that care and the cost of delivery. The creation of the initiative will demand a combination of existing staff and external experts, who will conduct a high level of analysis to determine “where we [W&M and EVMS] best connect” and, through consultation with EVMS’ affiliate Sentara, how their partnership could serve the Commonwealth.
He said their initiative will begin by studying the health needs and existing health care delivery in the Hampton Roads region. It could involve collaboration between several of the college’s departments and schools, including its Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy, the School of Law and the Mason School of Business. “Those are some areas where we think there are strong connections,” Halleran said. He characterized the proposed initiative as a “test bed for a relationship.”
Halleran said he believes the request will be supported by state lawmakers, but said, “Nothing is a foregone conclusion.” When the college hosted a forum with the due diligence committee on Nov. 14, Halleran said members of the General Assembly were receptive to the idea, but said a merger wasn’t “solving a problem.”
In July, W&M announced it was going to explore the possibility of EVMS becoming the College of William & Mary School of Medicine, at the urging of EVMS (read more here). To evaluate what that would entail and its effects, both schools formed due diligence committees.
W&M’s committee was tasked with determining whether a partnership with EVMS would strengthen the college in the short- or long-term, how it might enhance its academic excellence, how it might extend new opportunities to W&M students and forge new connections in the larger community. Read more about the committee’s work here.
