VERO BEACH — A Virginia-based medical school is pushing forward with plans to establish a new campus in Vero Beach, but the project’s success depends on state approval to expand student training opportunities and residency programs at a local Cleveland Clinic hospital.
The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, known as VCOM, has secured a lease with the Indian River County Hospital District for a vacant building on the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital campus. The agreement, which takes effect Oct. 1, requires VCOM to launch training for third- and fourth-year medical students by 2026 and a full four-year program by 2028.
VCOM, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, is the nation’s second-largest medical school and specializes in training doctors of osteopathic medicine, with a strong emphasis on primary care. About 65% to 70% of its graduates enter primary care fields, addressing a critical shortage in Florida, where nearly 5 million residents lack access to such physicians…