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RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING SUPPORT BY THE CITY OF DULUTH FOR A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED ACADEMIC HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER IN THE DOWNTOWN REGIONAL EXCHANGE DISTRICT.
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BY COUNCILOR FORSMAN, PRESIDENT RANDORF, AND COUNCILOR NEPHEW:
WHEREAS, the city council finds as follows:
(a) That the University of Minnesota established a medical school campus in Duluth in 1972 to focus on rural healthcare, hereinafter referred to as the “Duluth campus;”
(b) That the Duluth campus graduates the second highest number of Native American physicians in the United States;
(c) That the Duluth campus houses the Center of American Indian and Minority Health;
(d) That nearly half of Duluth campus graduates ultimately remain practicing medicine in rural communities at a time when rural Minnesota and rural America are facing a shortage of medical practitioners;
(e) That in the 2021 First Special Session, the Minnesota state created the Duluth Regional Exchange District in downtown Duluth for the “development by the anchoring institutions in the community, such as health care institutions and institutions of higher education, to create opportunities to improve the economy of the city and Greater Minnesota regions and attract and retain workforce” See Minn. Stat. 469.51, Subd. 2 (3);
(f) That on July 19, 2021, the Duluth city council unanimously adopted a resolution approving the above special session funds appropriation and use requirements action for the Duluth Regional Exchange District. See resolution no. 21-0556R;
(g) That in 2022, the University of Minnesota publicly supported a newly constructed academic health sciences center (a/k/a medical school) to be located in downtown Duluth and sought funding from the legislature to achieve this mission;
(h) That if a new academic health sciences center is constructed in the Duluth Regional Exchange District, community development to foster economic growth and support the health and well-being of the city, specifically additional housing, childcare facilities, and retail spaces that meet the needs of students and neighbors to build a vibrant and inclusive downtown will follow;
(i) That Duluth is fortunate to be home to two teaching hospitals with partnerships with the Duluth campus;
(j) That the need for a focus on rural healthcare and focus on training of Native American practitioners and treatment of Native American patients continues to grow in our region;
(k) That on September 24, 2024, the University of Minnesota announced that the Medical School-Duluth Campus was expanding from a two year program to a four year program;
(l) That now is the time for a new academic health sciences center in downtown Duluth to expand healthcare training in the region for physicians, pharmacists, and other professionals, especially individuals who are historically underrepresented in the healthcare field.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the city of Duluth supports construction of a new academic health sciences center in the Duluth Regional Exchange District to serve our city, tribal nations, and wider region.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the city clerk shall notify Dean Diebel at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, as well as Duluth area state legislators of this resolution.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This resolution provides support for the construction of a new academic health science center in the Duluth Regional Exchange District.