How to Plan for an Academic Health Center

Academic health centers strive to provide patient care, educate medical students and unite the top doctors in any given field to perform research that may produce new methods to fight diseases. Planning for an academic health center requires a number of challenging tasks, from determining the public need and enticing qualified researchers to financial issues. Though difficult, the red tape and paperwork are no match for the potential cures and increase in medical care that the community gains when the center is complete.

Instructions

• 1

  Find a location. An academic health center's location directly affects its success. Important factors include proximity to an undergraduate university campus, fast road networks for ambulances and enough space for future expansion. Meet with the city planner and advisers to determine the best spot for the center.

• 2

  Align with a local undergraduate university. This not only grants the institution instant credibility, it provides a pool of potential professors and students.

• 3

  Write a business plan. A business plan will convince investors of the necessity of the academic health center and provide a road map to the center's future. Consider ideas such as marketing strategies, establishing academic hierarchies, community benefits and a financial plan.

• 4

  Find investors. Both government agencies and private citizens will invest in an academic health center with a promising business plan. Advertise a method of recognition for donations, such as the promise of names on a prominently displayed plaque. Some individuals will jump to contribute to a project that immortalizes themselves or a dead loved one.

• 5

  Open when small but plan to become larger. An academic health center can start as small as one building and end up a massive campus spanning city blocks. Open as soon as part of the center is complete, and start generating name recognition while building the rest of the center. Even when funding lessens, continue to plan advancements that can be implemented the minute more contributors arrive.