Ground has been broken on a medical school campus in Joplin.
Officials from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences were on hand Wednesday to mark the start of work on the new campus. It will be located in the former temporary medical building that was set up after a deadly 2011 tornado destroyed Mercy Hospital Joplin.
Supporters say it will help recruit doctors to southwest Missouri and alleviate a doctor shortage, particularly in rural areas. The university plans to enroll 150 students per year in its osteopathic program.
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences officials said the campus would be the first new medical school to open in Missouri in nearly 50 years.
