WWAMI: Elimination would worsen doctor shortage
If you’ve tried to see a doctor in Coeur d’Alene recently, you know how difficult it is. Our community is growing, but the number of doctors isn’t keeping up. My patients often tell me they wait months to see a doctor, and I bet you’ve experienced this too. The Idaho legislature is now considering a bill (HB 176) that would make this shortage worse by eliminating a critical source of physicians for Idaho: the WWAMI program.
WWAMI is a partnership between five states, including Idaho, to train doctors through the University of Washington — America’s top-ranked medical school for primary care. This program has served Idaho for 50 years, producing skilled doctors to practice in our state. In fact, 15% of all doctors in Idaho are WWAMI graduates. Eliminating this program would cut off one of the strongest pipelines of doctors serving our communities.
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