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June 11, 2010
Close to 300 individuals attended Greater Spokane Incorporated's Good Morning Greater Spokane Breakfast at The Lincoln Center on June 11. Keynote speaker Paul Umbach of consulting firm Tripp Umbach unveiled the economic impact and benefits our region will with the expansion of medical education and research in Eastern Washington. Some of the benefits and facts outlined in Umbach's presentation include:
- Goal: create a comprehensive, research-intensive Academic Health Science Center @ Riverpoint: four-year medical school, dentistry, nursing, public and allied health programs.
- Integrative programing includes expanding collaboration, building education, research programs, student training, and interdisciplinary research.
- Currently 80% of physicians must be recruited from out of Spokane
- Economic Impact in 20 years if school comes to fruition: $1.6 billion to the local economy, and over 9,000 new jobs.
- The medical school could also help ease Washington's physician shortage and bring more primary care doctors to rural areas.
- Currently, WWAMI denies 80 percent of Washington college students who apply, potentially exporting those future doctors out-of-state.
Panelists at the event also strongly supporting the program included State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, Dr. Elson Floyd, President, Washington State University, Scott Morris, President and CEO, Avista, Dr. Suzanne Allen, Vice Dean for Regional Affairs, UW School of Medicine, and Dr. Gary Knox, President, Spokane County Medical Society.
We Need Your Help
A key take-away from this event was that it will take an investment of team work, collaboration, funding, and audacity to make the school a reality. For those that would like to help us expand medical education and research for Eastern Washington, please
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with your contact information and let us know if you would like to: a) have us speak at your club/group, b) participate in the 2011 Olympia trip to advocate for the school, c) sponsor an activity/project around the medical school, or d) add your name to the medical school e-news distribution.
For more information about the effort to expand medical education in Spokane and create a four-year medical school visit the following pages and presentation documents:
This event was sponsored by Avista.
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