State Legislators Announce Support for a WSU Medical School in Spokane

Marcus Riccelli

If you haven’t heard yet, there is growing support for a WSU medical school headquartered in Spokane.

On Tuesday, State Senator Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane) and State Representative Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane) announced bipartisan support for a WSU medical school. The two legislators announced they would introduce bills in their respective chambers to amend a law that is nearly a century old that mandates that only the University of Washington can operate a publicly funded medical school in the state.

Baumgartner and Riccelli also pledged to support startup funds for a WSU medical school.

A number of media outlets covered the announcement. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the coverage:

  • WSU gaining bi-partisan support for medical school [KXLY]
  • Proposed WSU medical school could increase rural doctors [KREM]
  • Potential for two medical schools in Spokane [KHQ]
  • State legislators support new medical school model [The Spokesman-Review]

Watch the announcement below:

Marty Dickinson, the Director of Marketing and Cultural Enhancement at Umpqua Bank in Spokane, is teaming up with Rich Hadley, the former President and CEO of Greater Spokane Incorporated, to lead a stakeholder group in the greater Spokane community in support of a WSU medical school.

For more on our pursuit of a WSU medical school, visit medicine.wsu.edu.