Portneuf Medical Center donates to ISU medical program

A medical partnership continued Thursday as Portneuf Medical Center made its annual gift to Idaho State University.

PMC donated $2.5 million to ISU’s family medicine residency program. The hospital has given money to the university for the last several years in an effort to help grow the medical program and number of physicians.

According to the most recent data available, Idaho ranks 49th out of 50 states in terms of physicians per capita, meaning there is a significant shortage. ISU and PMC said having a good working relationship like they do has a ripple effect for success.

“It’s wonderful because the doctors do help us in teaching as well as not only in the classroom but also in the clinic,” said ISU President Arthur Vailas. “A lot of the graduates do get employed by our regional hospitals and they stay. Especially – a number of them work at PMC so it’s reciprocal. It’s a wonderful partnership.”

“We love it,” said Daniel Ordyna, CEO of PMC. “We love ISU. We know that an investment in graduate medical education like the residency program is going to set up the future of Idaho for years to come.”

Over the last ten years, PMC has donated more than $20 million to the university.