ROOTSTOWN, Ohio -- Northeast Ohio Medical University and Mercy Health today announced what they say is the first-of-its-kind partnership to address the region’s primary care needs while developing a diverse health care workforce dedicated to serving local communities.

Through the new partnership, Mercy Health will provide full tuition scholarships to qualifying Neomed students who are pursuing a doctor of medicine degree in exchange for their future service commitments to Mercy Health following residency training.

Applications will be available in the spring and scholarships will apply to the fall semester of the 2015- 2016 school year. Neomed and Mercy Health say they anticipate awarding up to five scholarships in 2015.

“Our new partnership with Mercy Health advances our Education for Service initiative to educate local students who return to provide primary care services throughout our region and furthers our mission to improve the health, economy and quality of life in Northeast Ohio,” said Dr. Jay A. Gershen, president of Northeast Ohio Medical University, in a prepared statement.

The partnership allows Neomed and Mercy Health to alleviate the shortage of primary care physicians in rural and underserved communities, improve access to a diverse health-care workforce dedicated to the region and improve the economy of the communities served, according to the announcement.

“At Mercy Health, we are committed to extending the healing ministry of Jesus by improving the health of our communities, with emphasis on people who are poor and underserved,” said Brian Smith, Mercy Health executive vice president of operations. “This unique partnership with Neomed helps educate individuals who strive to become the compassionate, caring physicians of tomorrow. By working together, we will reach more patients and ultimately help improve their quality of life.”

Neomed trains medical students in a team-based, interprofessional environment and offers doctor of medicine and doctor of pharmacy degrees, in addition to master’s and doctoral degrees and research opportunities in other medical areas.

Mercy Health, formerly Catholic Health Partners, is the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest health systems in the United States, employing more than 32,000 employees in Ohio and Kentucky. With $6 billion in assets, Mercy Health operates more than 250 health facilities, including 23 hospitals, eight senior living communities, five hospice programs and seven home health agencies.