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Fourteen of Nebraska’s 93 counties don’t have a primary care physician, and statistics like that motivated District Six regent Paul Kenney from central Nebraska to vote in favor of the complex.
“In my five-and-a-half years, I have never had a topic that had this many people on one side of the line,” said Kenney, whose hometown is 15 miles northwest of Kearney.
The rural health complex, which will begin construction September 2023, will expand the college’s existing health care programs and also open the possibility for adding colleges of medicine, pharmacy and public health.
UNK and UNMC previously built the Health Science Education Complex in Kearney seven years ago, which was the first phase of expanding health care access in rural parts of the state.
“Adding a second health-science focused building at UNK creates opportunities for students who want to both pursue – and practice – their health careers closer to home, which help us build a stronger rural workforce, increase access to rural care and help communities thrive,” said Jeffrey Gold, the chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in a statement. “In short, it will transform lives for generations.”
With Thursday’s approval, the universities anticipate the health complex will be finished by summer of 2025.
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