In support of continuing education opportunities for health care professionals, Phelps Memorial Health Center of Holdrege, Neb., has become a community partner with a contribution to the UNMC and University of Nebraska at Kearney’s (UNK) new Health Science Education Complex.
The 30,000-square-foot building will be at the corner of Highway 30 and University Drive, just west of the West Center Building on the UNK campus. Construction is set to start this spring with proposed completion by June 2015.
“The gift from Phelps Memorial Health Center is a tremendous investment in the future of nursing and allied health education at the Kearney Division,” said Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing.
“Investments like these are vital to realizing the full potential the new health science education building will represent and ensuring lifelong learning opportunities for clinicians practicing in rural Nebraska.”
The building, which can be expanded in the future, will feature clinical simulation, anatomy and physiology laboratories and state-of-the-art technology for distance nursing and allied health education programs.
Mark Harrel, CEO of the Phelps Memorial Health Center, said one of his chief goals is to help build an exceptional health care workforce.
“The addition of the UNMC/UNK Health Science Complex will further solidify the workforce in this area. And, knowing we will be able to use the new simulation laboratories to help our nurses and others gain experience in some necessary procedures will help us continue to be well equipped to serve our patients.”
One of the goals of expanding facilities and programs on the UNK campus is to prepare students for health care opportunities in rural Nebraska.
By 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor projects a shortage of nearly 1.2 million registered nurses in the United States and more than 3,800 nurses in Nebraska. Similarly, the national demand for allied health professionals is expected to increase by 30 percent by 2020, representing a net increase of more than 3.6 million jobs.
“We have worked closely with UNK for years and appreciate the opportunities UNMC/UNK are bringing to this area,” said Rhonda Johnson, director of the Phelps Memorial Health Center Foundation.
“As more students are educated in the new health science complex, the entire health care community in south central Nebraska benefits.”
To learn more about supporting the building project, contact Sarah Gloden Carlson at (402) 502-4113 or scarlson@nufoundation.org.