The economic downturn was tough on the urban core of many U.S. cities. But Pomona got a booster shot from an unlikely source: Western University of Health Sciences.

The institution constructed a new clinic and a classroom building as part of a $110-million expansion. The school had previously rehabilitated existing retail space in Pomona's once-blighted center. Its Health Professions Center, for example, is a renovated former Buffum's department store. Nearby, a building that once held a JCPenney houses the University Research Center.

The changes have helped entice developers to construct residential lofts downtown. New businesses are sprouting. There's even a bi-monthly art walk.

"It's humming down there," said Frank Garcia, executive director of the Pomona Chamber of Commerce. "Things are starting to come alive. Restaurants are coming back."

Western University is also well-positioned to take advantage of changing U.S. demographics. As the American population ages, primary care doctors are expected to be in short supply.

Its osteopathic medical school, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, is one of only two in the state and has been churning out general practitioners for more than three decades. With nearly 1,000 students, enrollment is up more than 40% since 2000.

Many of the students were attracted by the institution's philosophy of patient-focused, holistic healing. Most of them probably will become primary care doctors, reflecting a core tenet of the institution: to provide care for patients in underserved areas.

"We try to pay attention to our community and needs of state, and we were rewarded by prospering in that way to grow," said Clinton Adams, dean of Western University's osteopathic medical school.

Started in 1977, private, nonprofit Western University began as a tiny osteopathic school in a strip mall with a few dozen students. Today it encompasses nine colleges that train nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other healthcare professionals.

With total enrollment of 3,300 students and 900 full-time staff members, Western University is among Pomona's largest employers and an anchor of the city's downtown.

See the original post here:
Booming medical school brings life to downtown Pomona