CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte officially has a new medical school that will bring thousands of new doctors to the area, and it will also have a huge impact on the local economy.
Let's connect the dots.
According to a recent economic study by Tripp Umbach, the new Wake Forest School of Medicine Charlotte campus will create 43,000 jobs over the next 20 years. All those people will be living and working around the Queen City, too, meaning they'll spend a lot of their money supporting local businesses.
The school will also bring thousands of students and their families to Charlotte. They, too, have to live, eat, and shop. Experts say a large portion of that money will also be spent in and around Charlotte.
The economic study by Tripp Umbach also estimates the medical school will generate an additional $5.2 billion in economic impact over the next two decades. Atrium Health says the school will help expand new research projects all across North Carolina.
Atrium Health has also promised to involve the community to match the initial seeding to create a total $10 million fund by the time the first students are seated at the Charlotte campus in 2024.
Ground on the new Charlotte campus is set to be broken in the first quarter of 2022 after the zoning approval process is finished. Atrium's technology offices that are already on the site will be replaced with the larger mixed-use campus.