RIVERSIDE – (INT) – Eighteen years after a School of Medicine was proposed at UC Riverside, the 2024 class of graduates will find themselves in much demand.

The need for clinical care is trying to keep pace with the Inland Empire’s surging population. The average primary care physician in Riverside County supports more than 21-hundred patients. In San Bernardino County, it’s 17-hundred compared to the statewide average of just over 12-hundred patients.

UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox says research and education programs are thriving. But he said “in order to meet our healthcare goals for the region we must redouble our commitment to clinical engagement”.

On a related note, over one-third (35%) of health professionals in California are immigrants.

32% of physicians/surgeons in California are immigrants (4th highest in the US). 37% of nurses in California are immigrants.

Story Date: July 16, 2024