It gives every patient access to the full resources of the medical school, its providers and the hospital. For the medical school, it reduces the number of leases and support staff while adding the resources of Cabell Huntington. Also, the growth of managed care with its team-based approach has made the multidisciplinary nature of the new center crucial for physician training. The new complex is long overdue. The 24-student inaugural class of 1978 has swelled to a student body of more than 200.
Half are in their third or fourth years, when patient care predominates.
Schneider says, though, it is likely the building will be kept to house certain administrative offices and possibly the health service for Marshall University students. In addition to the ambulatory and rural centers, the long-range plans call for a new cancer treatment center. The late James Edwards created a trust that, after the death of his wife, Joan, will go to Cabell Huntington for the cancer center.