NEW ORLEANS -- One of the region's largest health care providers will partner with Xavier University to launch a new medical school in Louisiana.

On Tuesday, Ochsner Health joined with the school to announce their agreement to establish a co-managed College of Medicine. Xavier officials first signaled their intentions last April to open the fifth medical school in the Pelican State.

At that time, the university said the effort would take shape over several years, and that it was initiating discussions with area hospitals.

The latest development notes that Ochsner and Xavier -- an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) -- will form a nonprofit corporation as part of the venture, which will "use facilities, personnel and administrative processes of both institutions."

Officials said the aim is to address health care needs in the region and to increase the representation of Black health care professionals.

"Our partnership with Xavier furthers our Healthy State mission of enhancing diversity among health care providers, which has been linked to better care for diverse communities of our region and throughout the nation,” said Dr. Leonardo Seoane, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for Ochsner Health. “We must work together to solve the challenges faced in our health care workforce and ensure communities across the country have access to the highest quality of care.”

As of January 2023, only four HBCU medical schools are up and running. A fifth is in the planning stage, and the Xavier-Ochsner College of Medicine would be the nation's sixth.

No timeline was given regarding the launch of the new medical college.