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STRATEGIC OUTCOMES |
ACTION |
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Department: |
☒ Safe & Prosperous |
☒ Motion |
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City Administration |
☐ Active & Appealing |
☐ Resolution |
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☒ Respected & Responsible |
☐ Ordinance - Introduction |
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Division: |
☐ Connected & Engaged |
☐ Ordinance - Adoption |
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Administration |
☐ Unique & Creative |
☐ Public Hearing |
TITLE:
title
State Legislative Appropriation - Mission Support Agreement: Rural Medical School Branch in Yuma
end
SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION:
Summary Recommendation
Approve a State Legislative Appropriation - Mission Support Agreement with Onvida Health to support the development of a rural Regional Medical Branch of the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix and medical education, generally, within the City.
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STRATEGIC OUTCOME:
This Motion supports City Council’s Strategic Outcomes of Safe and Prosperous as well as Respected and Responsible as it supports the development of rural medical training and education in the Yuma area.
REPORT:
Arizona is experiencing a significant and growing physician shortage, particularly in primary care and in rural communities where access to basic medical services is often limited. Statewide data indicate that Arizona meets only a fraction of its projected need for primary care physicians, with shortages identified in all 15 counties. By 2030, the state is expected to require hundreds to nearly two thousand additional physicians to keep pace with population growth and increasing healthcare demands. These shortages are most acute in rural regions, where physician recruitment and retention have historically lagged behind urban areas.
To help address this challenge, the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix (UofA CoM-P), in partnership with Onvida Health in Yuma, is launching Arizona’s first rural regional medical school branch. The program will offer a three-year Primary Care Accelerated Pathway leading to a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree, with clinical training based entirely in a rural community. Beginning in July 2026, up to 45 qualified medical students, 15 per year, will be admitted from a competitive applicant pool of individuals committed to careers in primary care, including internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics. Students admitted to the program will receive full-tuition scholarships funded by Onvida Health. Each student will complete the first 18 months of the three-year curriculum, focused on foundational medical sciences, at the UofA CoM-P campus in Phoenix before transitioning to rural-based clinical training.
The establishment of the UofA CoM-P rural branch was made possible through the 2025 Legislature’s General Appropriations Act (Senate Bill 1735), signed by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, securing an initial $3,000,000 appropriation to be distributed to the City of Yuma for pass-through funding to a nonprofit regional hospital located within the City that supports at least 400 beds. Governor Hobbs and leadership from the University of Arizona, Onvida, and local officials are committed to continuing efforts to secure ongoing funding for the rural medical school branch.
This innovative program is designed to increase the number of physicians who both train and ultimately practice in underserved rural areas by reducing educational debt and embedding medical education directly within the community. It represents a major investment in the future of healthcare in the Yuma region and a meaningful step toward addressing physician shortages across rural Arizona.
Adoption of this Motion directs the City Administrator to enter into the attached Mission Support Agreement, allowing the City of Yuma to distribute the State appropriation funds to support development of the UofA CoM-P Rural Regional Medical Branch at Onvida Health, consistent with the provisions of Senate Bill 1735 (2025).
FISCAL REQUIREMENTS:
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CITY FUNDS: |
$ 0.00 |
BUDGETED: |
$ 0.00 |
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STATE FUNDS: |
$ 0.00 |
AVAILABLE TO TRANSFER: |
$ 0.00 |
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FEDERAL FUNDS: |
$ 0.00 |
IN CONTINGENCY: |
$ 0.00 |
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OTHER SOURCES: |
$ 0.00 |
FUNDING ACCOUNT/FUND #/CIP: |
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TOTAL |
$ 0.00 |
- |
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT:
None. These funds are appropriated from the State for further distribution to a nonprofit regional hospital located in the City of Yuma that supports at least 400 beds to develop rural to medical education
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS NOT ATTACHED TO THE CITY COUNCIL ACTION FORM THAT ARE ON FILE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK:
None
IF CITY COUNCIL ACTION INCLUDES A CONTRACT, LEASE OR AGREEMENT, WHO WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ROUTING THE DOCUMENT FOR SIGNATURE AFTER CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL?
☒ Department
☐ City Clerk’s Office
☐ Document to be recorded
☐ Document to be codified
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Acting City Administrator: |
Date: |
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John D. Simonton |
12/23/2025 |
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Reviewed by City Attorney: |
Date: |
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Richard W. Files |
12/22/2025 |