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Focused on collaborative research and community outreach, downtown district is unlike any other in the nation

Creating the only health district like it in the nation, several of Kansas City's leading health-care institutions announced that they have agreed to align more closely to form the UMKC Health Sciences District. The newly created district combines the unique expertise and services provided by a medical center; a children’s hospital; a university and its schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry; as well as the local health department, mental health center and county medical examiner’s office.

• University of Missouri-Kansas City and its
- School of Medicine
- School of Nursing and Health Studies
- School of Pharmacy
- School of Dentistry

• Truman Medical Centers

• Children’s Mercy

• Kansas City, Missouri Health Department

• Missouri Department of Mental Health Center for Behavioral Medicine

• Jackson County Medical Examiner

There are other health districts in the U.S., but the UMKC Health Sciences District is unlike any other in the nation.

It is one of 18 areas in the country that have public schools of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and nursing in one location along with a children’s hospital and an academic medical center. By including a mental health center, the medical examiner and health department in the group, the UMKC Health Sciences District is one of a kind.

By combining these institutions’ efforts, the UMKC Health Sciences District has the potential to enhance collaboration on research and grant requests; combine efforts on community outreach; improve faculty recruitment; coordinate area parking, safety and transportation; and create shared opportunities in health and wellness from and for more than 16,000 health professionals, faculty members and students.

“We have all worked together already for a long time, and worked very well together, but today we are opening a new chapter,” said UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton. “Today, we will sign a cooperation agreement designed to stimulate economic growth and job creation, attract new talent to Kansas City, create shared opportunities in health and wellness, and improve opportunities for recruiting and neighborhood outreach.”

“This District is a collaboration among dedicated organizations determined to improve the health and wellness of people in Kansas City—and across the United States,” said Charlie Shields, president and CEO of Truman Medical Centers and University Health. “We believe that as the UMKC Health Sciences District, we will be able to stimulate collaboration in research, advance interprofessional education and foster communication. Those are the steps necessary to developing the kind of innovations that will shape the health care of the future.”

The District also will seek to create cooperative programs to stimulate collaboration in research, to advance interprofessional education, and to foster communications and intellectual collaboration. Interprofessional education involves students from two or more disciplines, such as nursing and pharmacy, learning together to cultivate collaborative practice to provide patient-centered care.

The District is about 2 miles in circumference and will be bound on the north by 20th Street; south by 25th Street; west by Oak Street; and east by 71 South.

The UMKC Health Sciences District will be governed by a board composed of approximately 20 members. Each participant institution shall have two representatives on the board. The board will appoint a chair for a two-year period beginning July 1, 2018. The chair will rotate among the following participants in the following order: UMKC, TMC and CM. The first chair, who will serve a two-year term, will be the Chancellor of UMKC. The board also will name an executive director of the District. The first executive director, who will serve a three-year term, will be the Dean of the UMKC School of Medicine.

About the University of Missouri-Kansas City

The University of Missouri-Kansas City, one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 16,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on its six-part mission: placing student success at the center; leading in life and health sciences; advancing urban engagement; excelling in visual and performing arts; embracing diversity; and promoting research and economic development. For more information about UMKC, visit umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, see us on Instagram and watch us on YouTube. Read our students’ stories at #UMKCGoingPlaces.

About the UMKC School of Dentistry

The UMKC School of Dentistry originated in 1881 as the Kansas City Dental College. The name has changed and the school has grown and evolved into a multi-faceted institution, but it has maintained a tradition of excellence in education for over a century. The school offers a varied and complete range of educational experiences for students of dentistry and dental hygiene and for graduate and continuing education students. For more information about the UMKC School of Dentistry, visit dentistry.umkc.edu. You can also find the School of Dentistry on Facebook.

About the UMKC School of Medicine

The UMKC School of Medicine was founded in 1971 as an innovative combined degree program. From its baccalaureate/MD curriculum to a docent system that emphasizes small group learning, the school has remained a trendsetter in medical education and research. For more information about the UMKC School of Medicine, visit med.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies

The UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies offers a full range of education programs. Bachelor’s degree offerings include a pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing; the RN-Bachelor of Science in Nursing; and the Bachelor of Health Sciences, which prepares students for professional careers in health administration, community outreach, patient advocacy and public health. Graduate programs include a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) and a PhD in Nursing. For more information about the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies, visit sonhs.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About the UMKC School of Pharmacy

Since 1885, the UMKC School of Pharmacy has been shaping the future of health care and improving the lives of patients and their families by educating the next generation of pharmacists. To fill the need of pharmacists throughout Missouri, the UMKC School of Pharmacy offers three campuses: at the UMKC Health Sciences Campus on Health Sciences District in Kansas City; at the University of Missouri in Columbia; and at Missouri State University in Springfield. For more information about the UMKC School of Pharmacy, visit pharmacy.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Truman Medical Centers

Truman Medical Centers is an academic medical center providing accessible, state-of-the-art quality health care to the Kansas City community. The majority of TMC physicians, in affiliation with the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, teach the doctors of the future. They stay ahead of the curve in health care, providing innovative instruction to students and cutting-edge care to patients. With two acute care academic hospital locations, a behavioral health program, a long-term care facility and University Health, a newly opened specialist and surgery center downtown, TMC provides care from birth through senior years. In addition to its hospital facilities TMC takes health care to the community whenever possible, through stand-alone and mobile clinics. For more information, call 816.404.3785 or visit trumed.org and universityhealthkc.org.

About Children’s Mercy Kansas City

Founded in 1897, Children’s Mercy is one of the nation’s top pediatric medical centers. With not-for-profit hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, and numerous specialty clinics in both states, Children’s Mercy provides the highest level of care for children from birth through the age of 21. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked Children’s Mercy as one of “America's Best Children's Hospitals.” For the fourth time in a row, Children’s Mercy has achieved Magnet nursing designation, awarded to fewer than seven percent of all hospitals nationally, for excellence in quality care. Its faculty of more than 700 pediatric subspecialists and researchers across more than 40 subspecialties are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research, and educating the next generation of pediatric subspecialists. Thanks to generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children’s Mercy provides medical care to every child who passes through its doors, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. For more information about Children’s Mercy and its research, visit childrensmercy.org. For breaking news and videos, follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

About the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department

The Health Department’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the health of Kansas City residents and their visitors and to prevent illness. This mission is carried out through a variety of programs and services, most of them free to the public. For more information, visit kcmo.gov/health. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Missouri Department of Mental Health Center for Behavioral Medicine

Center for Behavioral Medicine (CBM) is an agency for the Department of Mental Health. The facility is located on Health Sciences District in the heart of Kansas City and provides comprehensive psychiatric care to patients from Kansas City and the seven surrounding counties. CBM serves as the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Department of Psychiatry, fulfilling academic and research needs.

About the Jackson County Medical Examiner

The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office (JCMEO) is governed by Missouri Revised Statues. JCMEO is dedicated to providing exceptional death investigations services to Jackson County, the city of Kansas City, the surrounding counties of Platte, Cass and Clay as well as other Missouri counties on a referral basis.