HARRISBURG – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa joined Senate Democrats and medical professionals in a call to restore the potentially disastrous cuts proposed to Pennsylvania’s medical schools, bioscience investments and regional cancer centers.
The news conference put the spotlight on state investment versus state spending. Senate Democrats argued that proven, successful investments and preventative cost-saving approaches, such as the Life Science Greenhouses (LSG) program and Pennsylvania’s life-saving Regional Cancer Centers, should be spared from the proverbial budget axe.
Through February 15th of this year, LSGs have been responsible for 3,175 new jobs, 2,763 jobs retained, 136 new companies supported and the creation of an estimated 20,006 indirect jobs through prudent early stage investment that has leveraged millions in private commitments to new and promising life science technologies and innovations.
“From an economic standpoint, we have to realize that modest investments in our state-related academic medical centers are multiplied several times over when you take into account the private and federal dollars which flow into Pennsylvania as a result of the success of these institutions,” Costa said. “We can’t lose sight of the big picture and make reductions now that will cost us in years to come.”
Another concern of Senate Democrats is the potentially crippling funding reductions proposed to the state’s medical schools, specifically the two-year old Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) in Scranton. State funding for TCMC was completely eliminated in both Gov. Corbett’s and the House Republicans’ budget proposals.