SPOKANE Washington State Universitys board of regents on Friday unanimously approved the administrations controversial effort to start a new medical school in Spokane, citing the dire need for more doctors in the state. <\/p>\n
The easy path for us to take would be to support the status quo, Regent Scott Carson said. The data tells us theres a need, and we should move forward to fill that need. <\/p>\n
WSUs plan is opposed by the University of Washington, which operates the states only publicly funded medical school. <\/p>\n
While approving WSU President Elson Floyds pursuit of the independent medical school, the regents said the university should continue its partnership with the University of Washingtons WWAMI program, which trains doctors for the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. <\/p>\n
There is no question that the excellence of the University of Washington program is a real blessing to the state, Regent Laura Jennings said. We need both WWAMI and a new medical school to meet the needs. <\/p>\n
The boards approval came a day after a consulting firm said WSU is well-positioned to start a medical school. The consultants report found that Washington suffers from a shortage of doctors, especially outside the Seattle metropolitan area, and that shortage is likely to grow. <\/p>\n
Nearly half of the states physicians are in King County, the study said, greatly exceeding its 29 percent share of the states population. Of Washingtons 39 counties, 18 have 10 or fewer physicians per 10,000 people. King County, in contrast, has more than four times as many. <\/p>\n
State Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, said he will push for a second medical school in the Legislature. <\/p>\n
The ability of the state to have another accredited medical program for only an initial investment of $2.5 million gives the Legislature something to strongly consider, Baumgartner said. <\/p>\n
I intend to find a model where University of Washington and Washington State University do it together, he said. I will not allow this to become the Apple Cup of medical schools. <\/p>\n
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WSU approves medical-school plans despite UW objections<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SPOKANE Washington State Universitys board of regents on Friday unanimously approved the administrations controversial effort to start a new medical school in Spokane, citing the dire need for more doctors in the state. The easy path for us to take would be to support the status quo, Regent Scott Carson said. The data tells us theres a need, and we should move forward to fill that need Continue reading