Sedgwick County will be sending a letter to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and state lawmakers to support the concept of a medical health science campus in downtown Wichita. County commissioners approved the letter this week, and the idea is also expected to get support from the city of Wichita.
County Manager Tom Stolz and Commission Chairman David Dennis were involved in recent discussions with Wichita State University officials on the project. Stolz said the concept is to combine the strength of the KU Medical School and the WSU digital engineering programs into a single campus. He said this could be a great addition to the Wichita region and the state from an economic development perspective and for efforts to provide public services. Stolz said this would offer the county opportunities for partnerships involving the health department, COMCARE and aging services.
Wichita State University asked for the letter of support. Local leaders would be looking for state and federal funding to help with the project, including American Rescue Plan Act funding, infrastructure funding and other sources. The partners in the project would include Sedgwick County, the city of Wichita, the KU School of Medicine, Wichita State University, and WSU Tech.
Stolz said it’s just a concept at this time and more details will be discussed in the coming months and years as funding sources are identified. He said this would not be in conflict with a new medical school that is opening this year in the former State Office Building in downtown Wichita, and it’s expected that this new school would be included in a collaborative effort to create a medical health science campus.
