Jul 14, 2014 12:25 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

New Mexico State University is moving forward with plans to build a private medical school on campus that will focus on osteopathic medicine, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine is slated to open in fall 2016 across from Arrowhead Park Early College High School on the university's campus. The medical school -- which was funded entirely by private investors -- is expected to serve 150 students.

"Today, I am delighted to announce a partnership between New Mexico State University, NMSU's Arrowhead Center and the newly formed Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine to create the state's newest medical school on the NMSU campus," wrote NMSU President and former New Mexico Governor Garrey Carruthers on his Facebook page Monday.

Carruthers said the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine will be a "freestanding, privately funded, separately licensed and independently operated entity." He assured students and state residents that no taxpayer dollars will go toward its operation.

"We see some real advantages to the university," Carruthers said of the public-private partnership to create BCOM. "We see some real advantages to the community in terms of more providers."

Osteopathic medicine is a branch of the medical profession that focuses on helping each person achieve a high level of wellness by focusing on health promotion and disease prevention.

Las Cruces doctor of osteopathic medicine, Dr. Guillermo Hernandez, told ABC-7 that the new school will help aid the area's "shortage of doctors."

"New Mexico is in dire need of new doctors, the state is predominantly a rural state. So there's a lack of care in rural communities. In fact Las Cruces is considered a rural community even though it's the second largest city in the state," Hernandez said.

The osteopathic school will be the first of its kind in New Mexico, and only the second medical school in the state, after the University of New Mexico's traditional School of Medicine.

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