Otter calls for 5 more WWAMI seats

“I’m recommending that in the coming year we follow through on our plan for providing more physician training to meet Idaho’s needs,” Gov. Butch Otter told lawmakers today. “Adding five more seats to our medical school partnership with the University of Washington will reach the Board of Education’s 2009 goal of having 40 seats available for Idaho students.”

“That’s a great investment in our students and an important step toward addressing our community healthcare needs, he said. “But it also is a pipeline from which it takes years to realize benefits. There are quicker ways to address our shortage of primary care physicians. So I encourage you to keep funding our physician residency slots. And we must keep attracting healthcare professionals by providing medical loan reimbursement incentives for primary care doctors who agree to serve our rural communities.”