The state Senate gave final legislative approval this afternoon to Washington State University’s medical residency bill – HB 2443 – sending it to the governor’s desk. The bill received full support from the House earlier this month.
The bill recognizes the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine as an accredited medical school and adds it as a third co-chair of the Family Medicine Residency Network’s advisory board alongside the University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
The Family Medicine Residency Network was established in 1975 to support family medicine residencies in the state and encourage the development of new ones. State law was updated in 2015 and funding provided to incentivize hospitals and clinics to expand such programs and develop new ones. The advisory board also was established to make recommendations on the selection of areas where affiliated residency programs will exist.
Video from the Senate floor hearing on HB 2443 can be viewed below: