The version of the state budget for next fiscal year passed by the House of Representatives on Friday contains money for establishing a program to train recent medical-school graduates on how to specialize in emergency medicine.

However, Savannah legislators weren’t able to get funding for Armstrong State University to expand its medical-education facilities. The school was seeking $22 million for more space to prepare nurses, physical therapists and students in other medical fields.

It produces more bachelor-level medical degrees than any college in the state and yet turns away about 300 qualified nursing applicants yearly because of limited space.

“That’s something everyone in the delegation is working together for,” said Rep. Craig Gordon, D-Savannah.

The Senate could still add the funds in its version of the budget.

An addition by the House is $200,000 for Memorial Health in Savannah to help with the creation of a program to train new doctors as emergency-medical specialists. The hospital already offers training for other medical specialists.

“There’s no question we need more emergency-medicine physicians, so I don’t know of a better place to have that than in Savannah,” said Rep. Butch Parrish, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s Health Subcommittee.

He noted that Memorial is the second-busiest trauma center in the state, but neither of Georgia’s two programs to educate emergency-medicine specialists is in the southern part of the state where there is a physician shortage.

He said the hospital will add $50,000 to the state’s appropriation for the feasibility study.

“Then they’re planning to raise some local money as well,” said Parrish, R-Swainsboro. “It’s something we really need to do.”