The report said the Valley has 31-percent fewer primary care doctors and 51-percent fewer specialists per capita than the state of California as a whole.
As a result, the Valley loses almost billion dollars each year in healthcare costs because people must leave the area for treatment.
Valley Coalition Chairperson Bryn Forhan said, "More than ever we are committed to move forward and bring this medical school forward."
The Valley Coalition for UC Merced Medical School gathered in downtown Fresno on Friday to present its "Vision for the Valley" report.
It said the medical school is needed to help the Valley "grow its own" medical professionals.
Dr. Joan Voris, UCSF Fresno Associate Dean, said, "When doctors go to medical school and do their residency in the same area, 70-80-percent of them stay in that area and practice."
The message inspired students from the Sunnyside High Doctor's Academy. Sunnyside High senior Marissa Arroyo said, "That's really interesting and it kind of brings home that not a lot of people come back."
Congressman Dennis Cardoza of Merced said a UC Merced medical school would ease the Valley's critical shortage of physicians from diverse backgrounds. He said, "You need doctors that look like their patients, that speak the different languages, that understand the cultures of the people they serve."
Dr. Moses Elam says a culturally competent physician "must be able and aware to understand nuances of other ethnic populations of patients."
But during these lean times, funding for a medical school remains a big challenge. Congressman Jim Costa of Fresno hopes the project can tap into federal money while local fundraising efforts continue. Costa said, "We're going to put this together over a period of the next five years where we hope in 2015 we'll have a full-fledged operating medical school here in our Valley."
UC Merced is competing with UC Riverside for some of the same funds. The 52-page report will now be delivered to University of California regents as well as state legislators.
