ETMC Foundation to Bring First Medical School to East Texas

$80M Gift Provides Medical, Mental Care for Rural Communities

If Northeast Texas were a state, it would rank 45^th in deaths from all causes. The sale of ETMC Regional Healthcare System to Ardent Heath Services and the UT System in 2017 made way for the formation of a large private foundation, the East Texas Medical Center Foundation (ETMC).

For decades, the residents of east Texas have been suffering from high rates of:

• Chronic lower respiratory disease mortality
• Heart disease mortality 
• Stroke mortality 
• Suicide  

With the mission to improve the health and quality of life for the east Texas rural communities, ETMC Foundation set out to create the first medical school in east Texas with a historic $80M gift. The main focus of the medical school will be training primary care physicians with the hope that doctors who train in east Texas will practice there and continue to invest in the community after graduation. 

The medical school will also work to address the high rates of suicide in east Texas by including an emphasis on training physicians in mental/behavioral health and substance abuse disorders to reduce the most significant risk factors for suicidal behaviors.

ETMC Foundation looks to admit the first group of medical school students in fall 2022. ETMC Foundation believes this medical school will benefit all east Texans, hospital systems, and the economy of the entire region. They will continue their investment in health, mental health, and pediatric health in their second year of grantmaking. 

As one of the newest members of Philanthropy Southwest in 2021, ETMC Foundation has already inspired us and we hope to champion their work and partner with them to create connected, impactful philanthropy for years to come.