Design for ISU medical building unveiled

Governor Butch Otter, ISU President Arthur C. Valais, and Dr. Robert Hasty led a group of founders to mark the construction site of a new medical building Tuesday.

The $32 million Idaho State University-Meridian Health Science Center will get under construction in 2017 near the east entrance of ISU-Meridian. The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) will lease the land from ISU through an affiliation agreement approved by the State Board of Education this summer.

Founding dean and chief academic officer, Dr. Roberty Hasty said the project is on track. “The flags being placed here today are symbolic of what will be home to Idaho’s first medical school that will serve the state and region for generations to come,” Hasty said. “The meticulously thought-out planning that went into the design will help create a model for the medical school of the future and be a symbol of Idaho’s future and an iconic building that we can all be proud of.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with ICOM in establishing Idaho’s first medical school. Our collaboration will not only enhance our existing health-science programs but provide new research opportunities for our faculty, staff and students in Meridian and Pocatello,” Vailas said.

Otter, who announced the ICOM and ISU partnership last February, applauded the project’s progress.
“While ICOM is located in Meridian, make no mistake about the reach or impact of this college on Idaho’s statewide health care needs,” Otter said. “Not only population centers but also patients in smaller communities throughout Idaho will benefit from ICOM’s contribution to easing the shortage of physicians in our rural areas. This is a statewide college for statewide needs.”

ICOM is seeking accreditation through the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. It expects to admit its first 150 students in August 2018.