COLTON A local group of doctors and community officials announced plans Monday to develop a privately-funded, non-profit medical school in Colton.

The allopathic medical school, known as California University of Science and Medicine (Cal Med), College of Medicine, will seek accreditation from the Licensing Committee on Medical Education in time to open in 2016, according to a news release issued by the colleges officials.

This is an exciting and much-needed opportunity for medical students in the Inland Empire and California, said Dr. GnanaDev, Cal Meds founder, president and chief executive officer. Because of many factors, including the extremely limited medical school spots in our state and severe shortage of doctors, we believe this project will have a significant positive impact on the economy, education and health for many decades.

The university and the medical school are being financed primarily through a $40 million donation from Prime Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit, public charity founded by Dr. Prem Reddy, a longtime Victor Valley resident, cardiologist and philanthropist.

Reddy will serve as the chairman of the board for Cal Med and is also the founder, chairman, president and CEO of Prime Healthcare Services. Through their subsidiaries, Prime Healthcare Services and the Foundation own and operate 25 hospitals in six states across the country, including six non-profit hospitals.

This is a landmark day for our communities in medical education and health care, said Dr. Reddy in a statement. I am extremely proud as a physician, as a local resident and longtime proponent of health education to contribute to this project. Through Dr. GnanaDevs vision and participation of many who will be positively affected by the school, the medical school will become a pillar of health education in our area.

Cal Med will be housed initially at a temporary site until a permanent facility, potentially located near Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in Colton, is built. The school expects to welcome 50 students in its inaugural class and include a maximum of approximately 150 within a decade, officials said.

Cal Med will be a great addition to the universities, colleges and trade schools providing career training and educational opportunities to our residents," San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Rutherford said in a written statement. "In addition, the new medical school will help us overcome our region's doctor shortage by allowing more students to pursue careers in the medical profession."

Cal Med hopes to cultivate an environment that facilitates advances in education, research and health care delivery, the news release states. The school will partner with Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, and other hospitals in the county and throughout Southern California to train the next generation of innovative and diverse health care professionals.

The opportunity to establish a new medical school within the county is exciting, said Josie Gonzales, 5th District Supervisor for the County of San Bernardino. The medical school will not only help meet the growing demand for new health care professionals, it would be an economic boost to Colton and the surrounding communities.

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Reddy donates $40 million to open nonprofit medical school