The Medical Facilities Commission began its study in December, 1972, pursuant to Chapter 688 of the 1972 Acts of Assembly. The Commission was originally empowered by the 1968 General Assembly to study the utilization of certain medical facilities as an affiliated operation of the University of Virginia School of Medicine (Appendix 1). The 1970 session of the General Assembly extended the Commission for another two years (Appendix 2), and in 1972, the Commission study was again extended for two years with an expanded charge and a new name, the Medical Facilities Commission. Its charges were:

A. It shall continue studying and planning the development of the University of Virginia affiliated hospital program for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs for family physicians, other medical specialists and other health professionals.

B. It shall plan for and develop an Area Health Education Center.

C. It shall seek to assure that momentum is sustained towards encouraging the number of family and other type physicians in Virginia by encouraging further development of such programs and alerting the General Assembly to the need for additional programs to prevent future health manpower shortages.

D. It shall encourage coordination between the State's two medical schools and the Norfolk Area Medical Authority as they develop affiliations with communities for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs for family physicians, other specialists, and other health professionals.

E. It shall encourage coordination between the two medical schools and the Norfolk Area Medical Authority in pilot studies in the use of computers, television and transportation modalities.

F. It shall study other problems related to medical education and health as the General Assembly or the Governor may request.

In order to carry out these charges most effectively, a number of consultants were asked to assist the Commission on a regular basis. These consultants included the Dean of the Eastern Virginia Medical School, the President of the Norfolk Area Medical Center Authority, the President-Elect of the Medical Society of Virginia, and many other physicians throughout the State. The Commission wishes to express its thanks for the many hours these consultants devoted to its deliberations.

At its initial meeting, the Commission decided that the best approach to organizing its charges would be to try to find solutions to the major problems of health manpower in Virginia and relate these solutions to the affiliated program in Roanoke and to the State as a whole. It was agreed that the chief problems were as follows:

1. The need to increase the number of medical school graduates and physicians in Virginia between 1973 and 1980 and beyond.

2. The need to increase the retention of graduating physicians in Virginia and attract graduate physicians from other areas to Virginia.

3. The need to improve and insure adequate distribution of physicians in Virginia.

Throughout the rest of the year, the Commission focused its attention on these problems and their possible solutions.