JEFF SOLLIS. CEO of Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (Idaho Falls)
On the top challenge
"Our most pressing need is the recruitment of physicians and specialists to care for our growing population. As a regional hospital, we serve the medical needs of people throughout Southeastern Idaho and parts of Wyoming and Montana. Current community needs assessments indicate a shortage of specialties (especially internal medicine, pediatric subspecialties, psychiatry and pulmonology) to meet our current and future population's medical needs."
On the hospital's response
"There are efforts underway to 'grow our own' physicians who have roots in Idaho and the larger region. For example, the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine is a newly established medical school with a mission to train physicians to care for patients in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and neighboring states. Additionally, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center will welcome 10 physicians this summer into our newly-created Internal Medicine Residency Program. Over the next four years, we will grow our internal medicine and family medicine programs to a total of 48 residents. Lastly, our hospital continues to pursue an aggressive recruitment plan to welcome physicians to southeast Idaho."