Kearney – The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved construction Friday of a $19 million Health Science Education Complex at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. UNK will expand its collaboration with UNMC to meet growing demands for primary and rural health care.
“The Board of Regents’ approval of this complex will change UNK forever,” UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen said. “We are excited about the new opportunities for our students.”
At the new facility at UNK, the UNMC College of Nursing will expand its bachelor’s of science in nursing and its graduate program for nurse practitioners. The UNMC School of Allied Health Professions will expand its educational programs for physician assistants, physical therapists, clinical laboratory scientists, radiographers and diagnostic medical sonographers to the UNK campus.
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The Health Science Education Complex is a component of the Building a Healthier Nebraska Initiative, approved by the Nebraska Legislature in 2012. The Legislature allocated $15 million to fund the construction. Another $4 million in private and other funding will come from UNK, including a $1 million donation the university received in January from Good Samaritan Hospital and Catholic Health Initiatives.
“We’re very grateful to the governor and the legislature for this important allocation of funds that will make it possible to expand the College of Nursing division at UNK,” said Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing. “It will allow us to better meet the shortage of direct care and advanced practice nurses with a special focus on interprofessional primary care.”
The vision of UNK and UNMC is to build a nationally recognized learning and research environment that promotes education in rural primary care, generates scientific discoveries and new knowledge about rural health, and enhances strategies to promote high-quality primary care in rural communities by creating academic and community partnerships around rural health problems and opportunities.
“The School of Allied Health Professions is tremendously excited to be a partner in this transformational project with UNK and the College of Nursing,” said Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., senior associate dean. “Allied health professionals play a significant role in the delivery of health care. What makes this project especially exciting is that it allows students to obtain an allied health professions degree while remaining in the rural areas where they are needed most.”