The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Kearney today (May 14) formally celebrated the opening of the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex in Kearney, the largest rural healthcare teaching facility in the country, and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to strengthening Nebraska’s healthcare workforce.
The $115 million complex expands UNMC’s academic programs in Kearney and includes the new $95 million, three-story, 110,000-square-foot Health Science Education Center II, which opened in January, along with the original Health Science Education Center I that opened in 2015.
“This is a historic day for the University of Nebraska System and the state of Nebraska,” said NU President Jeffrey P. Gold, MD. “The newly opened Health Science Education Center II will significantly improve the healthcare workforce for our state. It is the result of a highly successful public-private partnership, and we are grateful to all who have planned and supported this project and to those who developed the vision to transform rural health care. A special thanks to the state of Nebraska and to the generous donors, including our lead donor, the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation, for helping to transform lives across this great state.”
The Scotts requested the Kristensen Complex be named in honor of UNK Chancellor Emeritus Doug Kristensen. The complex enables UNMC to offer medicine, pharmacy and public health programs in Kearney for the first time, while also expanding programs in allied health and nursing. Overall, it will host 14 academic programs: cardiovascular interventional technology, diagnostic medical sonography, magnetic resonance imaging, medical laboratory science, medical nutrition, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, radiation therapy, radiography (all UNMC programs) and speech-language pathology (a UNK program).
“Today, we celebrate far more than the opening of a building. We celebrate the opening of possibility,” UNMC Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, said. “This new health sciences complex stands as a promise: the promise that students should be able to pursue their dream of becoming a healthcare professional close to home, near the communities that shaped who they are. I want to thank our university leaders, dedicated faculty and staff, generous donors and the wonderful Kearney community for helping us make this promise to Nebraska families.”
Leadership expects UNMC’s enrollment in Kearney to grow to approximately 625 students at full implementation, nearly doubling its current presence on campus. Upon graduation, these healthcare professionals will help address workforce shortages across Nebraska, particularly in rural communities.
Currently, 83% of Nebraska’s practicing healthcare providers are located in metropolitan areas, while only about 65% of the state’s population lives in those communities.
“Today represents transformation for our region and our state,” UNK Chancellor Neal Schnoor, PhD, said. “Students no longer must leave central Nebraska to access a world-class healthcare education. They can learn here, train here and ultimately build their careers and lives here. And that matters not only for the generations of students to come, but for the future of greater Nebraska, where a strong healthcare workforce will serve as a catalyst for economic growth, stronger communities and expanded opportunities across our state.”
As part of a phased move in, students already have been using the Health Science Education Center II, but full occupancy begins this month. And while each building within the complex has unique learning spaces and functions, UNMC and UNK students will use both facilities as part of an interprofessional model that emphasizes team-based care.
The Health Science Education Center II building is the result of a highly successful public-private partnership, receiving $60 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding allocated by the Nebraska Legislature. The City of Kearney and Central Community College also served as partners on the project.
The philanthropic community generously committed $28.5 million to support the building project. An additional $5.8 million has been committed thus far to support the UNK Endowed Fund for Rural Health Initiatives, which is a permanent endowment that will provide ongoing funding for any rural health program or initiative at UNK, with initial support benefiting students in the Kearney Health Opportunities Program.
A cooperative program between UNK and UNMC since 2010, KHOP recruits students from greater Nebraska and prepares them to practice healthcare in rural areas. KHOP students receive full tuition scholarships to UNK and are conditionally guaranteed admission to their specified program at UNMC.
“The Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex will elevate medical education and training across Nebraska communities,” said John Scott, vice president of the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation. “Through our strategic giving, we’re proud to support a project that will expand access to care and help shape the future of healthcare in Nebraska. We’re thrilled to name this complex in honor of Doug Kristensen, a dedicated public servant who spent his career serving the people of this state.”
Donors to the Health Science Education Center II also include the Walter Scott Family Foundation, Peter Kiewit Foundation, Union Pacific, Pinnacle Banks and the Dinsdale Family, Ron & Carol Cope Foundation, Tom and Mary Henning Family, Paul and Linda Younes, Harvey and Sharron (Jacobson) Altmaier, Nebraska Blue Foundation, Community Hospital – McCook and Robert C. Rosenlof Foundation.
Donors supporting rural health initiatives include Carey and Brian Hamilton, Bruning Bank, Randy and Christina Sump, and Mark H. Meyer, MD, and C. Jayne Meyer.
“The Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex shows the power of philanthropy to change lives and save lives,” said Brian Hastings, president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation. “Inspired by our visionary lead donor, the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation, donors stepped forward to support this transformative project. The healthcare professionals educated in this complex will enhance Nebraskans’ quality of life while helping to ensure the long-term vitality of our rural communities.”
The project is a priority of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future, a historic effort to engage 150,000 unique benefactors to raise $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska.