Gov. Jared Polis, lawmakers and leaders from the state’s higher education institutions gathered at Metropolitan State University on Monday to announce a new funding plan aimed at supporting expanded healthcare training initiatives across four state colleges.

The pending legislation creates a certificate of participation to fund infrastructure projects at Colorado State University, University of Northern Colorado, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Trinidad State College. 

While not yet officially introduced, the proposed will be sponsored by Sens. Kyle Mullica, D- Northglenn, and Barbara Kirkmeyer, R- Brighton, and Reps. Mary Young, D- Greeley, and Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada. 

“I’m so proud to see Colorado’s institutions of education really put these ideas on the table and do all the planning work to establish them,” Polis said. “This will be a major upgrade for healthcare in Colorado. There’s no question about it. It’ll be a boost to our economy in the areas that it serves.”

With the new legislation, Colorado State University’s planned Veterinary Health Education Complex, which began construction in September, will be able to increase the number of students in each class by 20%. 

“CSU’s Veterinary Health and Education Center will allow our university to expand our class size to help meet the shortage of veterinarians, adding economic value to Colorado and providing the care our animal patients deserve,” said CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank. “We’ll put this facility to great use for decades to come, and we’re extremely grateful to the bill sponsors and the governor for their support of this measure.”

Metropolitan State University of Denver will also receive funding for a new building on its campus, the Health Institute Tower. Once the tower is built, it is expected to increase MSU’s Health Institute’s capacity by 25%, allowing more students to study fields, such as nursing, behavioral health, and social work. 

The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley will soon be home to Colorado’s third medical school, the College of Osteopathic Medicine. According to a news release from Polis’ office, doctors of osteopathic medicine make up nearly 60% of primary care physicians, compared to just 28% of medical doctors.

UNC’s president Andy Feinstein said the new school is projected to graduate 150 new doctors of osteopathic medicine each year, contributing a $1.4 billion economic boost to the state over the next two decades. 

“This is a momentous occasion for the University of Northern Colorado,” Feinstein said. “The introduction of this bill is a culmination of nearly three years of intensive work by many, many people. We have worked tirelessly over the past two years to take all steps necessary to make our shared vision of this state a reality. Passing this legislation will have significant social and economic impacts on our communities and the state.”

Resources outlined in the legislation will help Trinidad State renovate and expand its Valley Campus in Alamosa, increasing student capacity for its allied health programs, which include degrees in areas like nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy, by 50%. 

“We truly have remarkably beautiful natural resources [in the San Luis Valley], but yet we have some of the highest poverty rates, the lowest educational attainment rates, and the highest need for healthcare workers in our state,” said Trinidad State President Dr. Rhonda Eppers. “This project will help address that need, and it will also provide a pathway to a living wage for our young people and our working adults.”

Mullica, who is a nurse, emphasized the importance of policymakers taking concrete actions to support healthcare workers. 

“As a nurse, I know what it’s like to work on the front lines during a pandemic,” he said. “I can remember the fear and anxiety coupled with the overwhelming grief from the loss of life working in the ER. I can remember healthcare workers being put up on a pedestal and being called heroes, and they are heroes, but I think it’s also important, as policymakers, that we follow through on those words to take care of those who take care of us.”

Mullica added: “We know what healthcare workers mean to this state. We know that they take care of us in our most difficult time. And I think what you see in this bill is that it’s time for us to start taking care of them and expanding this next generation of healthcare workers for this state.”