LEFT: Jay Feldstein, DO, president and chief executive officer of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.RIGHT: H. William Craver III, DO, dean and chief academic officer of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Two years ago it was just a rough idea being tossed about in Colquitt County Economic Development Authority discussions. Now it’s official. A medical college will be built in Moultrie — a project that will mean an annual $90 million-plus impact on the community.

On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) received initial approval from its accrediting agency to establish an additional location in Moultrie.

“This accomplishment is a credit to the commitment of the Southwest Georgia Medical Education and Research Consortium and all partners who have joined forces to bring this idea to fruition. We’re confident PCOM South Georgia will have a positive impact on health care in the South Georgia region,” said Jay S. Feldstein, DO, PCOM president and chief executive officer.

The idea of a medical college in Moultrie was the brainchild of Jim Matney, Colquitt Regional Medical Center administrator.

“The staff at CRMC voted 100 percent to support the project,” said Matney, who noted that the college will not just impact Colquitt County but all of Southwest Georgia.

Matney said when the college initially opens there will be 22 staff members and 55 students. They will engage in a four-year program.

“In its maturity that might grow to 1,000 students,” he said.

Matney said the idea was to have a college in an area where students would not have to drive much more than 45 miles. He said it made sense for Moultrie to be that location, being right in the middle of an area that includes Thomasville, Albany, Valdosta and Tifton.

Richard Bass, chairman of the Colquitt County Hospital Authority, said, “This is a big event for our community. It will change the demographics of this area.”

Darrell Moore, president of the Colquitt County Economic Development Authority, said groundbreaking likely will be in early spring if not sooner. He noted that even though the approval is announced, there are many technicalities to be worked out such as location and design. Moore said there were four viable locations presented.

“This is huge…a tremendous asset to our community. It will make it much easier to recruit and retain physicians for this area,” Moore added.

Moore noted much cooperation from leaders in area communities, throwing their weight toward this project.

“We had 20 or more letters of support from area leaders,” said Moore.

Larry Franklin, who served as chairman of the EDA during the development of this concept, kept saying all along that he was optimistic that this idea would come to fruition, noting that it would change the economic landscape of the community.

“You’re going to get some good headlines,” he told The Moultrie Observer more than a year ago.

And he said he feels other economic impacts are on the horizon.

Local agencies put $3 million in aid toward this project. The EDA put up $1.5 million, Moultrie City Council added $500,000 and Colquitt County Board of Commissioners tossed in $1 million.

Plans call for a 75,000-square-foot facility. The target date to begin classes is August 2019.

“We’re excited as we move forward in making significant investments in South Georgia in capital infrastructure, pipeline programming and the educational scope of the region. It’s a pleasure to be working with physicians, healthcare facilities and educational partners in South Georgia. I am truly appreciative of the assistance of the consortium and its leadership, along with our founding anchor hospitals as this initiative progresses,” said H. William Craver III, DO, dean and chief academic officer PCOM.

The branch campus in Suwanee, Ga., focuses on recruiting, educating, graduating and retaining health professions students from Georgia and surrounding states, a PCOM spokesman said. The Moultrie location will join with GA-PCOM in this focus, the spokesman added.

The Southwest Georgia Medical Education and Research Consortium is a partnership between independent hospitals in Southwest Georgia designed to promote better health care for the region.

Last May, PCOM announced that it had chosen Moultrie as the site for its expansion. However, PCOM then had to make its case to the American Osteopathic Association. The AOA had the final say.

In a press release to The Moultrie Observer, it was stated that “PCOM is a non-profit institution of higher education that has trained highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a ‘whole person’ approach to health care — treat people, not just symptoms.”