KEARNEY — A beam-raising ceremony was held on Monday, April 1, to commemorate the ongoing construction of the Rural Health Education Building on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus.
This new facility represents a further partnership between the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).
UNK Chancellor Doug Christensen welcomed all participants to the lecture, which was held at the UNMC Health Sciences Education Facility due to Nebraska's fickle weather.
Christensen said the construction of the Rural Health Education Building is a “historic event” for both UNK and the state of Nebraska.
He said this is not just a celebration of a building, but an ongoing partnership between UNK and UNMC, who have worked together with a common vision to benefit rural healthcare in the state.
Christensen pointed to challenges facing rural health care in the state, including the fact that more than a dozen counties have a shortage of primary care physicians.
Mr Christensen said with the Rural Health Education Building, he was “building a future” that would serve as a model for the country, which he hoped would be emulated across the country.
He said graduates of the program will become the core of the state's health care.
Mr. Christensen then introduced UNMC Chair Jeffrey Gold, MD, adding that he has been a true partner in this project and that the project would not have come this far without him.
Mr. Gold thanked Mr. Christensen and began his speech, which received applause and a standing ovation. Mr Christensen is the outgoing Prime Minister and will be stepping down from his post after 22 years of service.
Mr. Gold looked out the window at the frame of the Rural Health Education Building, and looking at its steel frame, he said he could see the future of rural health education unlike any other region in the country.
“We can wring our hands about the future, but we're here to do something about it,” Gold said of rural health care challenges.
He said it wasn't easy to bring the $95 million project to fruition, but “it cost a village and a family. The future is incredibly bright.”
Gold said the beams scheduled to be raised were signed by people from all over the state, including Gov. Jim Pillen, state senators, UNMC staff, students and others.
After speaking, those who braved the cold watched as construction workers hoisted the beams into place and secured them to the structure, then shook hands to mark the occasion.
Rural Health Education Building
The Rural Health Education Building will help address the critical need for additional health care professionals in rural areas by allowing more students to study and train in central Nebraska.
“The Rural Health Education Building builds on the existing partnership between UNK and UNMC, which has been highly successful. The two institutions built a $19 million project on UNK’s West Campus in 2015, according to UNK. He opened a health science education complex, which quickly filled up, he said.
More than 300 students are pursuing healthcare-related degrees at the existing facility. It was noted that 85 percent of graduates of these programs began their medical careers in Nebraska.
Construction of the Rural Health Education Building will increase the total number of students to 600 students, support 240 local jobs, and is expected to have an annual economic impact of approximately $34.5 million.
The new $95 million facility will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, extensive simulation, clinical skills labs for preclinical education and complex clinical scenarios, and simulated primary care space, UNK said. .
The new building could be completed as early as 2025.
The idea is that the facility will help expand the state's talent pipeline by expanding the existing UNMC programs offered in Kearney.
“With the new Rural Health Education Building, UNMC will expand its existing nursing programs and bring new options to the UNK campus, including areas of high need in rural Nebraska, such as occupational therapy, medical nutrition, genetic counseling, and respiratory care. “We can do that,” UNK said. In release.
The three-story, 110,000-square-foot building is located on the west side of the UNK campus, north of the Health Sciences Education Complex.
“For the first time, the UNMC School of Medicine will educate physicians in rural Nebraska and a Master of Health Administration degree will be added to complement UNK's undergraduate programs,” UNK reported.
The needs in rural Nebraska are considered acute, with 14 of the state's 93 counties without a rural physician and 17 without a pharmacist.
“We're not just building a building, we're building a human workforce that will fill not just this community, but every hospital and clinic in rural Nebraska,” Gold said at a groundbreaking ceremony in September 2023. It's changing,” he said.
Gold said the Rural Health Education Building will be the largest collaborative, multidisciplinary facility in the United States.
