Touro medical school in Great Falls officially opens its doors
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine officially opened its doors Monday.
Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro College and University system, said the journey to completing medical school had two beginnings. The first was receiving a call over two years ago from Benefis Health System CEO John Goodnow, asking for Touro’s help in bringing a medical school to Great Falls.
The second dates back 75 years, when the grandfather of Kadish’s son-in-law unexpectedly decided to pick up and move to Great Falls from Austin, Texas. His son-in-law inherited his grandfather’s home on Wilson Butte Road along the Missouri River, where Kadish and his wife have spent much time over several summers.
When Kadish spoke with the Benefis CEO, he asked Goodnow where he lived in Great Falls.
“His answer at the time was ‘Wilson Butte Road.’ And at that point, I decided someone was trying to tell me something,” Kadish said.
Upwards of 700 people attended Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on the new campus at 2801 18th Ave. South, which included the 109 medical students in the school’s inaugural class. The students, who come from 24 states across the country and four countries, according to Touro, were honored earlier in the day at a “White Coat” ceremony at the Civic Center.
“Today is an exhilarating day here in Great Falls,” Touro Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Patricia Salkin said.
Touro College was established in 1970 to focus on higher education for the Jewish community in New York City. It now has 19,000 students at 35 schools in four countries with programs in health sciences, technology, law, liberal arts, Jewish studies and education. The Great Falls campus is Touro’s third school of osteopathic medicine, with locations in New York City and Middletown, New York.
The college of osteopathic medicine is three levels and 100,000 square feet, featuring two large classrooms, a lecture hall, around 30 study rooms and five labs. Construction was overseen by Erik Sletten of Sletten Construction in Great Falls, and ground was broken on the project in October of 2021.
“This is such an exciting day for Montana,” Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said. “Boy, Montana has needed a medical school for a long time. This a huge milestone for Great Falls and certainly the entire state. There are many people that worked years to make this a reality. To everyone who played a role in this, congratulations on this extraordinary accomplishment and thank you for choosing Montana.”
Goodnow of Benefis, whom Kadish credited as the “catalyst” for the school, said Touro will be a boon to addressing the state and country’s shortage of medical professionals. According to statistics provided by Touro, 11 of Montana’s 56 counties lack a single practicing physician, and 52 counties have been identified as areas with health profession shortages.
“Whenever you have a shortage of people that take a lot of training like doctors and nurses do, the best way to solve that shortage is to increase the training pipeline,” Goodnow said. “It’s actually a pretty obvious way to do it. I have to commend Touro for coming to Great Falls to help with that and to increase the pipeline for physicians, and we’re so happy they’re here in Montana.”
Mayor Bob Kelly asked the people of Great Falls to welcome the students and faculty of Touro to the city.
“Our obligation as a community – and I’m speaking to the friends and family we have here in Great Falls – let’s make sure we embrace these young people,” Kelly said. “Let’s take full advantage of the things they have to offer us and make sure that they feel as much at home as every one of you do in this great community. So, welcome to these young adults and to the families, you are now a part of our family.”
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) are licensed physicians that practice in all medical specialties as a Medical Doctor (MD) from a traditional medical school but “apply a unique patient-centered approach to the full spectrum of care,” according to the American Osteopathic Association.
“From their first days of medical school, DOs are trained to look beyond your symptoms to understand how lifestyle and environmental factors impact your well-being,” the AOA website states. “They practice medicine according to the latest science and technology but also consider options to complement pharmaceuticals and surgery.”
After sharing quotes from Plato and Aristotle, Kadish called Touro’s expansion to Great Falls “the opposite of a Greek Tragedy.”
“We’re actually delighted to be here, the community has been extremely welcoming, and we’re excited about our new medical school here, and this fantastic building,” Kadish said.
Main photo was provided courtesy of Matt Ehnes of Jared's Detours.
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Touro medical school in Great Falls officially opens its doors
