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Spokane health sciences units running structural deficits; regents form ad hoc review
Summary
The Spokane administrative unit and the colleges of medicine, nursing and pharmacy were identified as running persistent deficits; regents approved an ad hoc committee to review administrative and programmatic options and to consider transitions such as bringing a clinical practice entity into the university.
The Board of Regents heard a detailed briefing Feb. 17 on financial pressures in the Spokane health sciences enterprise and on steps the university is taking to review administrative structure, IT, research support and clinical operations.
What regents were told: Leslie Brownelli and Daryl (Spokane executive) said the combined core-fund operation for the Spokane administration and the three health colleges (medicine, nursing, pharmacy) is about $82 million annually and that the group faces an ongoing structural shortfall. Pharmacy enrollment has dropped more than 50 percent since 2019 and contributes to the unit's financial strain; the College of Medicine carries long-standing operating gaps tied to clinical and residency expenses.
Actions underway: Regents learned an ad hoc regent committee (led by Regent Doug Pica) is reviewing Spokane finances. University staff have engaged an IT assessment for Spokane health sciences to identify service levels, infrastructure and costs. Leaders said work is underway to examine administrative staffing, potential consolidation of roles, and research‑support overhead to identify efficiencies.
Practice plan and Range Health: Regents discussed Range Health (a separate 501(c)(3) clinical entity that operates affiliated clinics) and the administration noted a potential transition of Range into the university as "WSU Health" to improve coordination and financial support; leaders warned the clinical enterprise is currently running an annual deficit and the transition would require operational realignment.
Next steps: The regents' ad hoc committee will meet again to receive more detailed reconciliations and to prioritize options for the health sciences enterprises; leaders plan to present concrete proposals and scenarios in follow-up meetings.
Ending note: The regents did not vote on any changes at the retreat but directed staff to provide additional detail and to continue work with the ad hoc committee to stabilize Spokane health-sciences finances.
