Governor Martinez to announce medical school at NMSU

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez is set to make an announcement that is expected to bring new opportunities to New Mexico State University students.

The university is moving forward to build a medical school on campus that will focus on osteopathic medicine.

The announcement is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Fulton Center on campus.

NMSU’s website described osteopathic medicine as a practice that combines modern medicine with a holistic approach.

Osteopathic medicine emphasizes on helping each person achieve a high level of wellness by focusing on health promotion and disease prevention.

ABC-7 spoke with a Las Cruces doctor of osteopathic medicine, Dr. Guillermo Hernandez, who said the school of medicine will help aid what he called a shortage of doctors.

“New Mexico is in dire need of new doctors, the state is predominantly a rural state. So there’s a lack of care in rural communities. In fact Las Cruces is considered a rural community even though it’s the second largest city in the state,” said Dr. Hernandez.

The website mentions that while doctors of osteopathic medicine make up 7 percent of all U.S. physicians, they are responsible for 16 percent of patient visits in communities with populations of fewer than 25-hundred.