An announcement last week ensured Delaware’s medical, veterinary and dental school pipelines will be funded for another full year.
Delaware is one of only a handful of states without a medical school, and relies on partnerships with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and other schools to ensure prospective med students from the First State have a fair shot at becoming a doctor, and practicing in the state.
Funding for DIMER and DIDER –programs that help ensure spots at several schools are reserved for Delaware doctors – was on lawmakers’ budgetary chopping block in June.
However, a surplus in taxes on captive insurance companies allowed for the programs to be funded, but only for the coming school year.
The future sustainability of the programs will be brought up again early next year when lawmakers start mapping out the fiscal year 2018 budget.
