(Courtesy of Touro University) Last week, Touro University officially opened the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) Great Falls campus, the first nonprofit medical school in Montana. The opening of the school and arrival of its first class were celebrated with a ribbon cutting on its new, state-of-the-art campus featuring a reception and participation from local elected officials, including Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly.

The new school will help address the local and national healthcare crisis and physician shortage by educating and retaining healthcare professionals in the state and providing much-needed patient care.

“A core pillar of our Touro University mission is a commitment to supporting underserved communities, and the opening of TouroCOM in Great Falls represents a further expression of that,” said Alan Kadish, M.D., president of Touro University. “We are eager to train the next generation of healthcare providers and offer medical care to those in need. We are thrilled to officially open our newest campus and welcome our inaugural class to the Touro University family.”

The 100,000 square-foot building with state-of-the-art labs and facilities will host up to 125 students and 60 faculty in its inaugural year and up to 500 medical students at full capacity. TouroCOM will clinically affiliate with several area medical providers to serve the local community and improve access to medical care.

In addition to the Montana location, TouroCOM maintains campuses in Harlem and Middletown, New York. Touro University operates additional Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson, Nevada; and Vallejo, California; and an allopathic medical school, New York Medical College, in Westchester County, New York.

Like all other Touro schools, the new medical school in Montana will offer a fully kosher cafeteria and a calendar that is in sync with Shabbat and Jewish holidays. For more information visit tourocom.touro.edu