20-03-2025
Gritman CEO: Hospital needs WWAMI students
Mar. 20—Gritman Medical Center CEO Kara Besst said medical students from the WWAMI program are "super important" to Idaho and to the Moscow hospital.
This was in response to a question about proposed state legislation, posed during a League of Women Voters of Moscow forum Wednesday.
Besst gave a presentation to the league about the hospital's goals for 2025. During a question and answer session, she was asked about recent bills in the Idaho Legislature that would reduce or get rid of Idaho's partnership in the University of Washington medical school program, called WWAMI (which stands for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho).
The Idaho House recently passed House Bill 368, which would reduce at least 10 seats from Idaho's partnership with the University of Washington medical school and the other Western states.
Idaho ranks last nationally in the number of physicians per capita. Besst said there is a national shortage of doctors, as well, because there are not enough medical schools and it can take eight to 10 years to fully train a physician.
Besst said losing out on more medical students would be "really devastating" for the local community.
"Most of our providers come through the WWAMI program," she said.
