Today on Inland Journal, two stories from Spokane’s medical schools.
The University of Washington and Gonzaga are teaching the next generation of doctors about how to become leaders.
“We hear from our community partners when we work in the clinical setting that doctors don’t have the leadership skills necessary for the roles that they’re foisted into. That’s been recognized more and more by clinical health systems, but even more so recently, there’s been a call from big organizations, the Institute of Medicine, from the accrediting body for residency programs, and others who have said leadership skills need to be part of medical school training," said Darryl Potyk from the UW School of Medicine.
And we’ll have the second part of a report about Washington State University working with two other West Coast medical schools to attract Native American students. We’ll talk with one Native medical student at WSU Spokane.
“Native Americans experience these adverse health outcomes at significantly higher rates. The rates of diabetes are much higher. Substance use and abuse. Mental health disorders. All of that. And I don’t think, as a Native person, that I could just ignore that," said WSU medical student Grace McPhail.
Also: The Washington Attorney General’s office sued federal immigration agencies in December for arresting undocumented immigrants in county courthouses. They cited 157 arrests of undocumented people on their way to court in the last two years. But the effect of these arrests on community members in need of court services is hard to quantify. Northwest Public Broadcasting’s Enrique Pérez de la Rosa reports on one undocumented man’s quest for a court date in Grant County.
And: In recent months California’s biggest electric utility has been taking the unprecedented step of shutting off power to millions. The move is meant to prevent power equipment from sparking catastrophic wildfires. Jefferson Public Radio's Erik Neumann reports on a renewable energy microgrid that’s proving to be one solution to this ongoing problem.
Inland Journal is Spokane Public Radio’s public affairs radio program and podcast. You can hear our past programs at the Spokane Public Radio website and subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, NPR One or Google Play. Send your comments and story ideas to Inland Journal@KPBX.org.