Spokane's bid to become a medical education center got the boost it was looking for in the state budget.

Washington State University received the $2.5 million needed to begin establishing its own Spokane-based medical school and the University of Washington received the $9 million it sought to expand its existing physician training program here too.

“This is a major development that will significantly enhance our accreditation effort and, ultimately, help us produce more primary care doctors for under-served Washington,” WSU's acting Medical Sciences Dean Ken Roberts said. “We are very grateful."

WSU will use the two-year allocation to hire a dean, faculty members and develop curriculum for the new medical school, which is a necessary part of obtaining accreditation. The university wants to enroll its inaugural class of students in 2017.

The University of Washington, meanwhile, is pushing ahead with its planned Spokane expansion. The $9 million will enable UW School of Medicine to enroll 60 first-year and another 60 second-year students for a total of 120. Currently, its Spokane branch has 40 medical students per year.

The two universities used to be partners in the Spokane operation, which is a part of the UW medical school but operated in WSU facilities, but parted ways last year over disagreements about how best to address Washington's rural doctor shortage. The University of Washington is in discussions with Gonzaga University to serve as its new Spokane partner.

The UW's medical school provides physician training for five northwest states, including Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho in addition to Washington.

Establishment of a full medical school in Spokane, along with the research grants it would be expected to attract, is one of the region's top economic development goals. To help kickstart that, WSU has moved many of its health-related programs to the Spokane campus, including the pharmacy and nursing colleges.

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