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Senate debates $400,000‑per‑slot psychiatry residency proposal, tables measure for fiscal review
Summary
Senator Okerlund’s bill to add four University of Utah psychiatry residency slots drew extended questioning about rural retention and the fiscal note (about $400,000 per seat); the Senate read the bill for third reading and then tabled it on third for further fiscal review.
Senator Okerlund presented House Bill 174 to increase psychiatry residency slots at the University of Utah from nine to 13, arguing the state faces a shortage of psychiatrists that contributes to high suicide rates and unmet care needs.
"We're very short on psychiatrists in the state," Okerlund said, emphasizing workforce pressures and retention: "88% of Utah psychiatry residents stay in the state." He described the proposal as…
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