During a news conference at the Statehouse Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, Gov. Sam Brownback, right, announced he wants to launch a school to train osteopaths to boost the ranks of doctors in Kansas, and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, left, revealed a proposal to expand medical residency programs ahead of the governor's budget proposal. (Thad Allton/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)

Topeka — Gov. Sam Brownback has outlined two long-term initiatives designed to bring more doctors to rural Kansas.

Brownback outlined a proposal Friday during a Statehouse news conference to set aside $5 million in state funds to provide seed money for new doctor-training programs at Kansas hospitals. He and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer said the goal is to attract more federal and private dollars.

The governor also announced that he’s forming a task force to draft a plan for establishing a privately funded school to train osteopaths in Kansas. Osteopathy is a branch of medicine that specializes in treating disorders by manipulating the muscular and skeletal systems.

Brownback noted that Kansas has had a shortage of medical personnel in rural areas for decades and that 92 of the state’s 105 counties are considered medically underserved.

In response, Doug Girod, executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center, said it would be difficult to gauge the impact of such an effort until task force recommendations are known.

“To ensure the continuing success of the KU School of Medicine and its three campuses, which already produce significant numbers of physicians for rural and underserved areas, any new initiatives must have medical and community support and appropriate numbers of clinical training opportunities, in addition to increased medical residency positions,” Girod said, in an emailed statement.

He noted that state funding cuts to Kansas Board of Regents institutions last year included a $10.7 million cut to KU, and that the university’s priority this session is getting it restored.

“With the physician shortage in Kansas, KU Medical Center recognizes the challenge in ensuring adequate numbers of physicians in rural and underserved areas and appreciates efforts to increase the number of medical residency positions,” Girod said. “However, with the current state budget crisis, it is uncertain how this initiative would be funded.”