AroundTheCapitol.com had a great story yesterday about our local University of California - UC Riverside.  As a UCR Highlander myself, I was really encouraged by the first part of the story that emphasized the UC systems commitment to open two new medical schools. (The other is at UC Merced)  UCR's med school won't be open for four or five years, but first will go before the UC Board of Regents next week for final approval.

It will be the first medical school for the UC system in 40 years and is much needed in the rapidly growing Inland Empire.  According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

"The state is expected to have a shortfall of 17,000 physicians by 2015, and the San Joaquin Valley and Inland Empire, among the fastest-growing parts of the state, have dire shortages of primary physicians and specialists...By 2011, enrollment of first-year medical students across the country is expected to be up 21 percent from the 2002 level, he [Edward Salsberg, director of the Center for Workforce Studies of the Association of American Medical Colleges] said..."

... [UCR's medical school] would focus its research on the health needs of the area, such as cardiovascular diseases, insulin-resistant diabetes and metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases, emerging infectious diseases, and health services, public health and health care access, according to the campus."

The other story is UCR related as well but the news is not as good.  Apparently, the union employees at UC Riverside's student health center plan to defy a court order and go on strike for five days beginning yesterday.  The unions demands for more money are, of course, more important than the safety of the patients they are supposed to care for.  The judge who issued the order said, "...the threatened walkout would irreparably harm UC patients, faculty and students..."

Real classy AFL-CIO.  Here is the whole Capitol Basement article:

July14, 2008
"...The University of California, which hasn't opened a medical school in more than 40 years, is preparing to open two new medical schools to help train more physicians for underserved rural and minority communities," writes the Chron's Tanya Schevitz.

"While the schools at UC Merced and UC Riverside won't be open for four or five years, they are intended to help fill a growing shortage of physicians in the state, officials say.

"In addition to planning the new schools, UC is working to add slots at its existing medical schools in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Davis and Irvine, which now enroll about 2,540 students.

"'It is a little unusual for a university system to open two medical schools at once,' said Edward Salsberg, director of the Center for Workforce Studies of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 'But UC's decision-making has been good, looking at what areas of the state have needs.'

"California, with a rapidly growing and aging population, has less than half the national average of students enrolled in such programs, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Meanwhile, California sends more students out of state for medical school than any other state. "
 
Speaking of UC and medicine, "Some union employees at UC Riverside's student health center plan to defy a court order and go on strike for five days beginning today.

"Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees were expected to walk off their jobs today in Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles, Irvine and other cities across the state. Combined, the union represents about 8,500 employees at five medical centers and 10 student health centers within the University of California system.
 
"The AFL-CIO affiliate and the UC system have been at an impasse over wage levels since April.  
 
"The five-day walkout might affect everything from the cleaning of common areas at UC campuses to hospital food and janitorial services, union leaders said.

"Medical services provided by support staff will be handled by supervisors or non-union workers, according to a statement from the UC system.

"A judge in San Francisco said Friday the threatened walkout would irreparably harm UC patients, faculty and students, and banned the strike until the union gave adequate notice. But union leaders said that serving formal notice of the strike last Thursday fulfilled that requirement...