Spokane7
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January 27, 2011 in City
Governor’s proposed capital budget leaves off Spokane medical school
Spokane building too pricey for governor’s capital budget
OLYMPIA – A new medical school building in Spokane is not on the list of large construction projects being proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire for the next two years, a group of government and business leaders from Eastern Washington was told Wednesday.
Marty Brown, the state’s director of the Office of Financial Management, told Spokane-area residents in Olympia on a lobbying trip that the proposed Riverpoint Biomedical and Health Sciences Building, with its $70.8 million price tag, was a good project that didn’t make the list for the proposed 2011-’13 capital budget sent to the Legislature.
The governor’s long-term capital spending plan doesn’t have new money for a WSU-Spokane Health Sciences Building through the year 2021.
Community representatives said they were told the building came up No. 6 on a list that took the top five. An analyst at OFM on Wednesday afternoon put it a different way: Because of the state’s decreased debt capacity, the state isn’t proposing money for any projects in higher education above $40 million.
The capital budget is the source of money for major construction projects. Unlike the general fund operating budget, it relies on bond sales for the money to pay for its projects. But its size is tied to the operating budget and the state’s ability to repay the bonds.
Brian Pitcher, chancellor of WSU-Spokane, said he didn’t regard the news from OFM as a rejection of a Spokane medical school, because Brown described it as a good project. Rather, it’s a sign that local backers will need to work to build legislative support.
Rich Hadley, president of Greater Spokane Inc., which helped arrange the trip to Olympia for its chamber members and local government officials, said they will meet with legislators around the state to stress the need for more doctors to keep up with the state’s growing population.
Romney/Paul split weighing on county GOP 
GSLFan on January 27 at 6:13 a.m.
God forbid the 509 ever get any capital investment that would raise jobs and enhance the business community.
Gotta keep the 509’ers down - at least until the next hand out program for sports stadiums in King County comes up.
PhiltheBibliophil on January 27 at 7:52 a.m.
Once again, its time to resurrect the State of Columbia idea and split this State in two. We could not do worse and then we’d see what happens to the “coasties” and “206’ers” wouldn’t we?
dmcilrath on January 27 at 7:57 a.m.
The Riverpoint Campus and Medical School was Baumy’s number one priority. Looks to me like his efforts were lacking. I wonder how Chris Marr would have done. Chris Marr worked to get capital investment for the Spokane area when he was in the senate, got it, and the Spokane voter cast him out of office.
greenlibertarian on January 27 at 12:59 p.m.
“PhiltheBibliophil on January 27 at 7:52 a.m.
Once again, its time to resurrect the State of Columbia idea and split this State in two. We could not do worse and then we’d see what happens to the “coasties” and “206’ers” wouldn’t we?”
The State of Eastern Washington, or the racist dream State of Columbia would be the poorest state in the Union.
Eastern Washington is a welfare state, utterly dependent on west side tax revenues to maintain infrastructure over here.
MrNatural on January 27 at 4:32 p.m.
Me thinks you are spot on greenlibertarian
here’s an interesting little FACT about the state of Washington.
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/01/25/since-red-counties-enjoy-a-disproportionate-share-of-the-state-budget-they-should-expect-a-disproportionate-share-of-the-cuts
Dazzeetrader11 on January 27 at 11:26 p.m.
David Mc…Mike never campaigned on having a Medical Scholl in SPokane. Marr would never have pulled it off either because he, Gregoire and Lisa Brwon spent all the money elsewhere.
Now Greggy is backtracking. She had to…she spent the money! How funny your fantasy is. Mike B NEVER had a med school brewing. Never a mention and never a promise. Nice try though.
Spokane doesn’t need a medical school. UW has the first two years in multiple places.including Pullman, Moscow , Montana and Spokane. The first two years are going. But when 70 new faces are coming out of residency programs in Spokane, the facts is that Spokane doesn’t need one. Was of money in hard times and probably during the good times too. GSI and Hadley might whine……sorry Rich…there’s no reason to spend $100s of millions like SIRTI has and continues to do…..and produce nothing. Point to one thing…..one.
Dwight_Shrute on January 28 at 7:42 a.m.
Note to David Co…I mean, Daisy Minken. Like all his positions, Baumgartner has had it both ways. You are probably right he doesn’t support a Medical School—but that isn’t what his lips say when he meets with GSI members privately. Can you spell duplicitous? Marr could have, and would have, delivered. He’s not a lightweight idealogue like Baumgartner or Shea.
greenlibertarian on January 28 at 10:49 a.m.
Dwight, ignore Daisy, her nonsensical rants are just that, never anything of substance.
BarbChamberlain on February 15 at 2:31 p.m.
A feasibility study conducted by the UW School of Medicine in partnership with WSU Spokane, the medical community and others found a current shortage of physicians and projects an increased shortage as the Baby Boomers age and retire.
Links to the feasibility study and other information are available at http://spokane.wsu.edu/healthsciences/
In the years 2011-2029, all the Baby Boomers turn 65. Former doctors/nurses/pharmacists will themselves become patients and we are a long way from having enough doctors, particularly in rural areas where they need doctors trained in primary care, emergency medicine, family medicine, and general surgery.
The state’s only expansion of medical education slots in the last 37 years has been the addition of 20 first-year medical students at WSU Spokane beginning in 2008. During that same time frame, the state’s population increased from roughly 3.4 million to 6.64 million today.
80% of qualified Washington students who apply to the state’s medical school are turned away because they have no more slots available. Those are our sons and daughters who will have to leave the state to become doctors—and they may not return to practice here.
It is important to note that the governor’s budget proposal is just that—a proposal. We are a long way from having a final capital budget. The House and the Senate will each adopt their own approach to the capital budget, then final negotiations will result in a bill that is sent to the governor for her signature.
In addition, the capital budget adopted in this session will not govern capital spending clear until 2021, as some people seem to think based on comments I have seen elsewhere. The governor’s capital list goes out a number of years for planning purposes but actual budgets address capital spending one biennium at a time, not for a full decade.
A post by Sen. Baumgartner concerning the proposal may be of interest: http://senatormichaelbaumgartner.blogspot.com/2011/02/thinking-about-smarter-government.html
Barb Chamberlain
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Washington State University Spokane
www.spokane.wsu.edu
Twitter: @WSUSpokane
Facebook: www.spokane.wsu.edu/fb
YouTube: www.spokane.wsu.edu/youtube