Martinsville, VA - A group of doctors in Martinsville want to build something pretty important in that area, a new medical school.

The founder of the Virginia Museum of Natural History is the man behind this big project.

It's been a couple of years in the making, but he said when the school is finally open, it will have great impact on the city of Martinsville.

Dr. Noel Boaz of Martinsville, hopes that in the next couple of years, an old grocery store on Fayette Street in Martinsville will be transformed into a 22,000 square foot building, turning out doctors to serve the local area.

It will be called the College of Henricopolis School of Medicine. Right now they're working on getting accredited and plan to open in the year 2015.

"With more people coming in with Obamacare in terms of being covered, the need for primary care doctors is even worse than it was originally," said Boaz.

Boaz said the Henricopolis School of Medicine will be a little different from other med schools.

"We can do all sorts of active learning procedures , so students don't memorize anatomy they really learn it themselves," he said.

While the medical school is in the making, Boaz's team has started the Integrated Centers for Science and Medicine. It already offers classes for students at Patrick Henry Community College.

"We are sustaining operations that are still in this same three big areas of what we do, which will be education, research and clinic service and eventually that's what the medical school will do as well," added Boaz.

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New Medical School in Martinsville in the Works