Sam Houston State University is working toward a deal with the Johnson Development Corporation to build a medical school on the site of the former Camp Strake property, which the development company purchased last year.
If the deal is finalized, and the project is completed, the SHSU facility will be the first medical school in Montgomery County.
"The rationale for us to look at Montgomery County is because of the access to all of the health care facilities that are there, and the concentration of hospitals and heath care service providers," said Dr. Michael Lacourse, dean of the college of health sciences at SHSU. "They are going to need a workforce, and there is no four-year university with health care programs there. Our intent is to be that university."
Lacourse said Johnson Development donated 10 acres of land for the development of the medical school.
"We don't know where it's going to be, exactly," he said. "Probably somewhere along the feeder road of I-45."
Several hurdles still need to be cleared before the medical school becomes a reality, however.
Lacourse said the proposal for a medical school at the Camp Strake site still requires approval by the college's board of regents, which he said could come "very soon," as well as by the school's coordinating board. Lacourse said that approval could take about a year.
Julia May, associate director of communications for SHSU, said the deal with Johnson Development is contingent upon the university acquiring the adequate funding to build the facility.
The Johnson Development Corporation issued a statement regarding the proposed SHSU medical school.
"The Johnson Development Corporation announces transactions for the Camp Strake property as they are finalized. We cannot confirm any such completed transaction with Sam Houston State University at this time," the statement read.
Lacourse said if the deal is finalized, construction could take about 18 months to complete with a planned opening date of the fall of 2018.
The SHSU medical school would offer a degree path in osteopathic medicine, or DO, rather than MD.
"There are two directions a medical school can take," Lacourse said. "You have allopathic medicine, which leads to an MD. The second branch is osteopathic medicine, or a DO. There are some variations of philosophy and approach to medicine [between the two programs]. We have chosen to develop an osteopathic medical school because our entire narrative is training people to work in primary health care."
The medical school would also emphasize education in advanced nursing practices and physician assistance, among others.
Gil Staley, CEO of The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership, said the proposed SHSU medical school would be a benefit to The Woodlands' existing, and planned, acute care hospitals.
"This is perfect timing for [SHSU] to address the need for a trained medical staff," he said. "This means more college-trained nurses, more DOs and more physicians. It will be an addition that will strengthen our medical community even more."
The Johnson Development Corporation purchased the 2,000-acre tract known as Camp Strake from the Boy Scouts of America in July of last year. Johnson Development, which also developed the Woodforest community, is planning large-scale mixed-use projects for the site.
In September, Johnson Development announced the sale of a 112-acre tract of land at the site to Fidelis Realty Partners, which is planning a retail development for the parcel.
