Idaho has many effective and experienced physicians – my wife happens to be one of them. But the overall physician shortage – the state recently ranked 49th nationwide in physicians per capita – poses a challenge for our communities. Especially acute in rural areas, a deficit of primary care and specialist physicians means limited on-the-ground expertise to combat troubling health trends, especially devastating problems such as substance abuse and dependency. In Idaho, a report commissioned by the governor’s Office of Drug Policy in 2017 noted drastic increases in prescription opioid access, heroin possession, and age-adjusted mortality from 2008 to 2015 - a nearly 50 percent uptick. Our state is certainly not alone in facing the challenges of the opioid epidemic. But our Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program – our state's publicly supported medical school – offers the University of Idaho a chance to exercise land-grant leadership through the adoption of the successful Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) model. Project ECHO empowers primary care providers in remote or underserved communities in Idaho to treat issues requiring specialist expertise. Connecting with a panel of experts in bi-weekly one-hour video conferences, primary care doctors, nurses and other clinicians from far-flung areas learn by doing, presenting de-identified cases to their colleagues and specialists. Treatment suggestions are generated from the entire community of practice. Each session also includes a short presentation on a specific clinical topic. So far the program has offered more than 150 providers from nearly 80 sites in three dozen communities a chance to learn tools and techniques that can improve health and even save lives in our communities. That includes sessions on behavioral health, a focus added this fall. Mary Beth and I joined a September session that focused on practices around the use of naloxone for opioid overdose reversal. Sitting in, we were impressed by the expertise on the topic, the thoughtful questions from participants and the patient-centered conversation. Everybody wants to make an impact on the often harrowing problem of addiction and abuse. The new behavioral health focus is supported by a three-year federal grant that facilitates twice-monthly mental health ECHO trainings to recognize mental disorders and employ crisis de-escalation techniques, a toolkit of mental healthcare resources and access to a referral network for patients. I know Idaho WWAMI Director Jeff Seegmiller and his team are excited about this focus and see even more potential focuses – geriatric medicine, palliative care, chronic pain and more. I share his belief in Project ECHO as a workforce multiplier that extends the availability of care in order to facilitate health and well-being. It’s a testament to the hard work of the Idaho WWAMI program, its partners among our expert community, and our eager and conscientious network of program participants that Project ECHO was recently nominated to receive an Idaho Rural Health Hero award. The Idaho Rural Health Association recognized the program’s commitment to treating opioid addiction and offering behavioral health education. We’re proud of that recognition. But the real satisfaction is harder to capture – it’s in avoiding heartbreaking problems like opioid addiction in our small towns when we have the tools to combat them. It’s the young women and men who won’t be ensnared or killed by addiction before they can pursue their dreams. It’s the community members who can know they have options for help if they struggle. That’s the leadership role our land-grant university can and should take, and I appreciate our Idaho WWAMI program stepping up to the challenge. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | Marching to the Beat of Philanthropy Like many U of I alumni, Doug ’75 and Judith ’75 Gross loved listening to the Vandal Marching Band on their visits to campus. When Judith passed in 2012, Doug honored her by establishing the band’s first-ever endowed scholarship in her name. “Between rehearsals, performances and extra events, Vandal Marching Band members — all full-time students — dedicate hundreds of hours throughout the fall,” said Spencer Martin, director of athletic bands. “The Judith A. Gross Marching Band Memorial Scholarship allows us to reward a student each year who goes above and beyond the call and who represents the best of the University of Idaho. It is a truly special gift.” Over the past six years, Doug and his wife Mary Hasenoehrl have continued to support the Vandal Marching Band in Judith’s memory, including their recent spring Vandal Giving Day matching gift that went toward the band’s new uniforms. To support band scholarships or help the band replace their 16-year-old uniforms, please contact the U of I Foundation at 208-885-4000 or gifts@uidaho.edu. | | U of I Team Advances in $10 Million Water Prize Challenge A University of Idaho team has advanced to the final stage of a $10 million competition to find the best way to stop to toxic algae blooms from poisoning drinking water supplies and the environment. The Everglades Foundation announced four finalists for the George Barley Water Prize. It will be awarded to the team with the best way to remove phosphorus from public waters. Phosphorus causes algae blooms worldwide. U of I environmental chemist Greg Moller, soil scientist Dan Strawn and mechanical engineer Martin Baker finished in the top four teams, winning the right to move on to the final round. U of I’s Clean Water Machine, an innovative reactive filtration system, uses biochar (an activated charcoal), iron-oxide and ozone to strip phosphorus from polluted waters to extremely low levels. Its byproducts can help food production. The original field competing for the Barley Prize included 104 teams from around the world. The competition began in 2015 with a search for new ideas. The U of I team consistently ranked among the top competitors at each stage. | | U of I Awards More Than $25 Million in Scholarships The University of Idaho has awarded more than $25 million in scholarship support to more than 6,000 students this fall – the vast majority from Idaho. The funds are being awarded to students from 46 states and all backgrounds for the 2018-19 academic year, part of the university’s mission to make a higher education accessible to students entering college from all walks of life. Of the approximately 6,000 undergraduate students receiving support, more than 4,000 are from Idaho and will receive over $12 million in scholarships. “These scholarships are part of U of I’s mission to invest in our students’ education and ensure their success at the university and beyond,” said Dan Davenport, director of Student Financial Aid Services. “This support is vital to providing the necessary skills needed for the workforce and to increase degree completion for all Idahoans regardless of financial hardship.” U of I scholarships are a mix of merit, need-based and outstanding achievement awards. Many scholarships are funded privately via the University of Idaho Foundation Inc. through the generosity of donors and alumni. | | | | |