Editor’s Note: UNMC’s impact on Nebraska is immense.
You see it in the faces of the doctors, nurses and pharmacists we train. And, in those who pursue careers in dentistry, allied health, public health, or research.
It plays out when graduates return to rural communities to keep the pharmacy open. Or, start new practices that help patients obtain health care close to home.
UNMC’s work brings pride to a state that champions success.
So, in this year of tight Legislative budgets, let’s remind ourselves of how UNMC, along with all of the University of Nebraska campuses, impact the state.
And then acknowledge that the work we do matters.
Over the next few weeks, we will share stories on how UNMC makes a difference. We can’t begin to know every story, so feel free to add your own “impact” stories in the comments below, or share them with UNMC PR via unmcpr@unmc.edu.
Alums keep rural clinic from closing
“If you look on Highway 2, if Ravenna was not here, there would not be health care between Grand Island and Broken Bow,” said UNMC alum David Blauvelt, a physician assistant.
In 2009, Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney was closing its Ravenna clinic, and as far as health care goes, the town of about 1,300, and its surrounding communities, would have had to find somewhere else to go.
The city reached out to Blauvelt, who owns a clinic in Kearney, and in partnership, they kept the clinic open, and kept health care in town. They also kept a local business open, kept local jobs from disappearing, and kept residents with health conditions from having to drive miles and miles down long country roads.
In 2017, with Blauvelt ready to “downsize,” his fellow UNMC PA-school alum Ryan Lieske took over, making the clinic truly locally owned. Lieske, who was already the clinic’s everyday physician assistant, has served on the Ravenna Chamber of Commerce and the Ravenna Economic Development Corporation.
Once again, a UNMC alum stepped forward to help keep a rural Nebraska community healthy, in more ways than one.
Impact stories:
See more stories of UNMC’s impact statewide here.