GARY | The health care industry's role as an economic engine in Northwest Indiana will be the focus of a several-month look by the Gary Chamber of Commerce.

From now through spring, the chamber plans to examine the "strong, if fragmented" system of more than a dozen major hospitals and smaller health care facilities in the region, with a look toward "coalition building," said Adrian Muhammad, chairman of the chamber's economic development wing.

Given the abundance of local health care facilities and the strong presence of the Indiana University Medical School in Gary, such a look "becomes almost critical," Muhammad said.

In the current economy, the industry provides some of the best paying jobs and is expected to experience shortages of nurses, doctors and other professionals, especially as the population ages, Muhammad said.

One of the chamber's immediate goals would be the establishment of a teaching hospital near Indiana University Northwest campus and associated with The Methodist Hospitals, Muhammed said.

The prestige associated with having a teaching hospital in the area would benefit other area hospitals by stemming the flow of local residents to Chicago area hospitals, Muhammed said.

"We think the environment would lend itself to getting back the market share we're losing to Chicago," Muhammad said.

Patrick Bankston, assistant dean and director of the medical school in Gary, kicked off the planned six-to-nine-month series of chamber presentations Thursday with a look at the school's transition to a four-year program.

"The health care industry is fastest growing in our region," Bankston said. "The fact is there's nothing more important than your health."

Upcoming presentations will feature Janet Seabrook, executive director of the Gary Community Health Center; Ian McFadden, president and CEO of The Methodist Hospitals; State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary; and Lincoln Ellis, director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana.