By PK Hattis

SANTA CRUZ — A medical program meant to train — and ideally retain — physicians in Santa Cruz County received a heavy dose of funding support from state lawmakers as organizers prepare to welcome students next year.

California’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget allocated $3.3 million to the forthcoming UC Programs in Medical Education Central Coast, also known as Prime Central Coast. The supplemental medical school program, established through a partnership between UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis, embeds enrollees in communities that lack sufficient access to healthcare, at once providing them hands-on experience with underserved populations while facilitating lasting ties in the region in which they’ve dedicated themselves.

“UC Santa Cruz has a long-term goal of establishing a medical school, which would be a great boost to the Monterey Bay Area’s medical system,” state Sen. John Laird, who has championed the local program for years inside the state Capitol in Sacramento, said in a statement. “Last year, I worked to get money in the state budget for the first students — now being recruited — who will return to the Central Coast for their clinical coursework and residency. I am pleased that the budget we just approved provides an additional $3.3 million for the next round of students. This will be a long process over the coming years, and I look forward to continuing to be a partner in this effort.”

Last year, Laird worked alongside fellow Santa Cruz and Central Coast representative Assemblymember Gail Pellerin to earmark $1.5 million in the state budget as seed funding for the program, which opened to applicants in May and will be ready to welcome its inaugural cohort of students in July 2027. This latest funding windfall will help program leaders hire staff who can further develop program offerings and facilitate professional development opportunities for participating students.

“UC Santa Cruz is committed to improving the health of our region and we deeply appreciate the support of the legislature and governor,” UCSC Chancellor Cynthia Larive said in a media release. “Sen. John Laird’s advocacy and support is helping to change the trajectory of health care in our region. Prime Central Coast will train talented students from our own communities and prepare them to serve those communities as physicians.”

According to UCSC, California will have 11.5% fewer physicians than it needs by 2030. The Central Coast and Central Valley face an even greater challenge, as those regions are expecting an 18.7% shortfall in primary care doctors within the same timeframe — the most severe gap in the state. Currently, 60% of Californians who pursue a medical degree must leave the state for their training.

Similar to other medical school students, Prime Central Coast participants will focus on curriculum for the first half of their education before transitioning to direct patient care for the second half. What separates the Prime program from other medical schools is that its students will regularly return to the Central Coast during their clinical rotations and, under the supervision of physicians at local hospitals and clinics, will provide healthcare to those who need it the most.

UCSC’s release noted that studies have shown that more than half of physicians practice within a 100-mile radius of where they were trained during residency, highlighting the incentive for stewards of the local healthcare network to create clinical opportunities for doctors who are about to enter the workforce.

Students interested in the Prime Central Coast program should apply to the UC Davis School of Medicine through the American Medical College Application Service, or AMCAS. If the applicant is invited to complete a secondary application, they may indicate interest in Prime Central Coast at that time. Prospective students must first be granted admittance to the UC Davis School of Medicine before they can be considered for a second interview for the Prime program.

Published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.