Support medical education

I agree with the central point of Washington State University-Spokane Chancellor Lisa Brown’s and Eastern Washington University President Mary Cullinan’s April 11 op-ed, “Higher ed funds critical to region.”

I only wish the piece offered more detail on what’s happening in Olympia, where state legislators are negotiating a budget that might deal a blow to our regional economy.

Earlier this month, the Senate proposed a budget jeopardizing funding for the University of Washington in Spokane. The UW has been training doctors in Spokane for decades through a partnership with Washington State University. The UW program is top-ranked in the country in primary care and rural medicine. It’s affordable and growing, with a plan to triple the number of medical students in Spokane by 2021.

The Senate budget would wipe that growth away, eliminating UW medical school operations. That’s a bad outcome for our region. According to one analysis, the UW expansion would generate $1.6 billion in regional economic benefits by 2030.

It’s not all bad news in Olympia. The House budget supports both the UW expansion and WSU’s efforts to accredit a new medical school. Here’s hoping legislators do right by Eastern Washington and invest in higher education this year.

Michael Senske

Spokane