03. USMH Physician's Assistant Program and Student Housing

Location

Status

Program welcomes students in Summer of 2019

Overview

The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown captured the imagination of Hagerstown in the early 2000s as the prospect of a Maryland higher education center became a reality. The first among several projects that defined Hagerstown’s Renaissance, USMH was followed by extensive development on Potomac Street, the expansion of the Fletcher Library and, now, the Urban Improvement Project. Since the center opened in the spring of 2005, 2,112 people have earned bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees at USMH.

A physician assistant program is being proposed by Frostburg State University to start in the Summer 2019 semester at USMH. Upon final accreditation, this two-year full time program plans to enroll 25 students each year, graduating healthcare professionals specifically interested in serving in rural, underserved areas. USMH will lease the third floor of the Meritus-owned H.W. Murphy Community Health Building at 24 N. Walnut Street for use as a new Health Sciences Center for this program. USMH has raised $1.4 million to fund renovations to the building and to provide scholarships for eligible Washington County students enrolled in the program.

The expansion of programs at USMH has created the need for additional student housing. Through a partnership with the city of Hagerstown and a local developer, an uninhabited and neglected building at 140 West Antietam Street is being renovated into modern student housing for 12 students. The project completion is planned to coincide with the planned launch of the PA program in order to accommodate students from outside of the area.

Sponsor

Meritus Health & USMH