Latest news with #HealthProfessionalShortageAreas
Associated Press
21-04-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Oregon Institute of Technology Announces Aspirations for a New Public College of Osteopathic Medicine
Klamath Falls, Ore., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oregon Institute of Technology ('OIT' or 'Oregon Tech') announced today its aspirations to establish a new College of Osteopathic Medicine designed to address the critical healthcare provider shortage in rural Oregon. The proposed future medical school is part of Oregon Tech's broader health and wellness initiative, in collaboration with community partners and state agencies. This initiative aims to create Oregon's first public osteopathic college of medicine and the second public medical school in the state. The new medical school will have a primary focus on training physicians for practice in Oregon's rural communities. The proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine would leverage Oregon Tech's established expertise in health education, with nearly half of its graduates specializing in health-related fields. The initiative aims to help solve a statewide healthcare crisis that currently leaves 2.5 million Oregonians living in areas designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas. Currently, there is a 2,000:1 patient-to-doctor ratio in rural Oregon. That disparity is predicted to increase to 3,500:1 in the next decade, if nothing is done. 'This statewide initiative represents a transformative opportunity to address Oregon's rural healthcare crisis while creating significant economic benefits for the entire state,' said Dr. Nagi Naganathan, President of Oregon Tech. 'Research shows that physicians are five times more likely to establish practice in rural areas if they are trained in rural settings. This approach will address the deteriorating healthcare access gap that affects millions of Oregonians.' The proposed medical school will be located at Oregon Tech's Klamath Falls campus, with clinical training opportunities throughout Oregon. The university also plans to develop an innovative, technology- and artificial-intelligence-infused curriculum, resulting in accelerated three-year medical degree program options. David Cauble, President and CEO of Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls and a member of the Oregon Tech Board of Trustees, expressed strong support for the initiative. 'The healthcare situation in rural Oregon has reached a critical point. The proposed medical school addresses our critical physician workforce needs not only in Southern Oregon, but also all across the state of Oregon, while generating a substantial economic benefit for their communities. It is about creating healthier communities and a stronger economy for rural Oregon — the definition of a win-win proposition.' Rural Oregonians currently experience significantly longer wait times for primary care appointments, an average life expectancy four years shorter than urban residents, and markedly worse health outcomes. Key features of the future College of Osteopathic Medicine include: Oregon Tech is preparing to conduct a comprehensive planning study to develop a strategic roadmap for establishing the medical school. The initiative has garnered substantial positive support and interest from healthcare providers, community leaders, and industry partners across the state. Attachment Ashley Van Essen Oregon Institute of Technology [email protected]
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Idaho budget committee rejects governor's request to expand physician recruitment program
The Idaho State Capitol building on Jan. 23, 2024 in Boise. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) With Idaho ranking at or near the bottom nationally in terms of doctors per capita, the Idaho Legislature's powerful budget committee on Wednesday zeroed out a $500,000 request from Gov. Brad Little to expand a popular program that helps doctors who practice in Idaho communities that are facing a shortage of medical professionals repay their medical school debt. This year, Little requested an additional $500,000 to expand the Rural Physician Incentive Program, which provides $25,000 a year to help physicians who provide medical care in federally-recognized Health Professional Shortage Areas in Idaho repay their academic debt. Idaho physicians may participate in the program for four years, receiving a maximum of $100,000. At a time where most of Idaho is officially designated as a Health Provider Shortage Area, the $500,000 would have provided enough money for five additional physicians working in underserved communities. Susie Keller, CEO of the Idaho Medical Association, told the Idaho Capital Sun on Wednesday the Rural Physician Incentive Program is a valuable tool to help the state recruit and retain doctors. Keller told the Sun that Idaho ranks 50th nationally when it comes to the physician-to-population ratio. Keller said some of that is due to the rapid growth Idaho has experienced over the past decade or more. But Keller said some of the shortage has to do with what she described as a pipeline for physicians practicing in Idaho. The pipeline includes K-12 public schools, colleges, medical schools, residency training, recruitment and retention. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Keller chairs the board that evaluates applications for the Rural Physicians Incentive Program, and she said the program is an important part of the recruitment and retention portion of the pipeline she described. In their applications, physicians make compelling cases for doctors making an impact in their communities, she said. 'But with the committee it has always been the case that we have more applications for loan repayment assistance than we have funds available to award them,' Keller told the Sun. The loan repayment program exists in Idaho state law and has been around more than a decade, but it requires funding from the Idaho Legislature. Since 2013, 98 Idaho physicians have participated in the program, and 83% of them are still in Idaho, according to numbers from the state. The $500,000 request to expand the repayment program went before the Idaho Legislature's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC, on Wednesday morning at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. JFAC is a powerful legislative committee that meets almost every day and sets the budgets for every state agency and every state department. Rep. Josh Tanner, a Republican from Eagle who serves as assistant majority leader on the House Republican leadership team, made the motion to pass the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's fiscal year 2026 public health services budget enhancements with $0 funding for Little's $500,000 request to expand the physicians loan repayment program. Tanner said he wanted to point out the loan repayment program benefits some of the most high net worth people in the state. Tanner also said he favors a medical residency program and pointed out Idaho participates in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, or WWAMI, cooperative education program. At about the same time Tanner led the effort to zero out funding for the medical school repayment program, the House Education Committee passed House Bill 368, which scales back Idaho's participation in the WWAMI program, Idaho Education News reported. 'Where is enough enough within some of these programs?' Tanner said. 'And if we were going to focus on one, I would want to focus on residency and not a loan repayment program.' Rep. Rod Furniss, R-Rigby, made an unsuccessful effort to approve Little's $500,000 request to expand the physician's loan repayment program Wednesday. 'Just so we know, Idaho ranks 50th of 50 states in active physicians per capita,' Furniss said during Wednesday's JFAC meeting. 'The more doctors we have in Idaho, it helps keep insurance costs down. It gives our people better care,' Furniss added. 'One of the problems we have in Idaho is access, and I would hope you would see the value of this program. It's helped many physicians stay in Idaho.' Under the program, Idaho physicians providing primary care medicine, family medicine, internal medicine and pediatric medicine are eligible to participate. The move to zero out funding to expand the physicians loan repayment programs comes on the heels of the Idaho Legislature approving record levels of tax cuts, which reduce the amount of revenue the state has available to spend in its budget. On March 6, Little signed into law House Bill 40, which reduces individual and corporate income tax rates from 5.695% to 5.3% at a cost of $250 million per year in state revenue. The Idaho House and Idaho Senate have both passed House Bill 231, which increases the grocery tax credit Idahoans receive each year to offset the sales tax on food by $35 per year for most Idahoans, at a cost of $50 million per year in state revenue. Little also signed House Bill 93, which provides a refundable tax credit to reimburse Idaho families for education expenses, including tuition at private religious schools, at a cost of $50 million per year in state revenue. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
