Idaho Medical Education Fund

I am Representative Kelley Packer from Idaho.  For the past 3 years, at the urging of my brother-in-law, Dr. Chris Johnson, and other wonderful, local physician's, I have been working on the shortage of medical education opportunities in Idaho. 

In my journey to understand where we're at and why we aren't doing more, I've found that this discussion is steeped in parochialism, turf wars & political bias.  The landscape is interesting to say the least. 

I'm extremely grateful for the 2 options we have for our Idaho students, because without them, we wouldn't have anything, at all.  But is it enough?  Can we do more?  What are the best routes forward?

There are many reasons for Idaho to have this discussion.  First, Idaho pre-med students rank in the top 4% of MCAT scores, throughout the nation, but those same students rank in the bottom 10% for admittance.  We need to give them more opportunities for success.

In addition, after paying out-of-state tuition Idaho students graduate with $300-400,000 in student loan debt.  Due to their debt load, they are forced to find the highest paying opportunities to manage their debt load, which means either specializing or moving to more urban areas.  This means Idaho has an abundance of Orthopedic surgeons (who we love) and a major shortage in Family Practice or Internal Medicine physicians.  And,  we're watching our youth leave our State for other, more financially attractive, opportunities, elsewhere.

Also, having our students leave for "greener pastures" is a major issue for Idaho's long-term stability and well-being.  Idaho can't afford to continue to lose their younger residents without jeopordizing the future security and health of our State.

The first steps to the right solutions is to completely understand the FACTS surrounding this issue:
-What is the current need
-How do we best address the need
-What are the best funding mechanisms for future solutions
-What are the economic impacts
-How do we include all stakeholders , for Statewide success
-Etc.

I have contacted a non-profit research group to gather all of this information and put it into a presentable format, so that we can start having the fact-based discussion on Idaho medical education, for our future.  They have given me a price tag of $30,000 to complete this task.  I need $2000 by September 15th (yes, I'm running out of time) & the full $30,000 by January 1, 2016.

As I've talked with possible investors, including hospital CEO's, physician's and local business owners, my idea is welcomed with hearty enthusiasm, but due to the political landscape, individuals are hesitant to contribute.  So, I'm reaching out to you, the public, for support.

Help me fund the research, so that Idaho can have the information needed to find the right solution for Idaho and Idaho students.  (And, if you live in Idaho and are worried about possible political backlash, anonymous donations are always welcome.)

I thank you for your help and Idaho students thank you for your help...every little bit moves us forward in finding a solution that works for us.

Thank you!

(The photo for my campaign is of Dr. Johnson, for those who don't know him, and this GoFundMe campaign is to help me honor his wishes.)