Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Higher Education Health Pipeline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs $550,000 ongoing for UW medical‑pipeline pilot with University of Utah
Summary
The committee approved $550,000 ongoing for a UW medical‑education pilot (alternative to WAMI) at the University of Utah, with members noting the program would expand by cohort each year if continued.
The Joint Appropriations Committee approved funding for a University of Wyoming medical‑education pilot program (Unit 6721) that would contract for instruction at the University of Utah. The committee changed the governor’s recommendation to provide $550,000 on an ongoing basis for the pilot and recorded that approval on a roll call.
Budget staff and committee members clarified the program design: the ask covers the first class year in a multi‑year medical school sequence; if continued the program would add another incoming class each year and the cost would grow until the full continuum of classes is in place. Mr. Richards explained that the $550,000 figure was the revised amount offered in committee testimony and the committee’s action makes the appropriation ongoing rather than one‑time.
Senator Smith and other members spoke in favor of the pilot, noting rural physician shortages and the geographic proximity of Utah as an advantage compared with the traditional WWAMI linkage to the University of Washington. Committee roll call recorded nine ayes, one no and two excused on the amended unit.
