A team of UNMC leaders led by Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, visited Holdrege recently to learn more about the region’s healthcare workforce needs and explore opportunities for partnership with the community’s health system, Phelps Memorial Health Center.
“The hospital’s overarching commitment is to a culture of quality and providing an excellent care experience for patients in greater Nebraska,” Dr. Davies said. “We also appreciated the candid discussion about the region’s workforce needs and the many opportunities to strengthen our partnership in education and training.”
Dr. Davies was joined by Chandra Are, MBBS, senior associate dean for Graduate Medical Education; Rob Messbarger, MD, associate dean for the UNMC College of Medicine’s campus in Kearney; and Brandon Grimm, PhD, assistant vice chancellor for the UNMC Office of Health Workforce Initiatives and vice dean of the UNMC College of Public Health.
In Holdrege, the UNMC group met with a group of healthcare leaders from Phelps Memorial, a 25-bed, critical access hospital. The group included CEO Mark Harrel; Loren Schroder, chief operating officer; Lindsay Sullivan, chief financial officer; Tesha Broadfoot, chief nursing officer; Holly Rahmann, chief strategy officer; and Linda Fecht, customer experience director. University of Nebraska Regent Kathy Wilmot also joined the discussion.
“We appreciated the opportunity to share the rural healthcare perspective and discuss ways we can work together to strengthen healthcare across central Nebraska,” Harrel said. “We appreciate UNMC’s commitment to bringing students to Kearney to learn and train in a rural setting. These efforts, along with continued partnerships around clinical training and workforce development, are important to building a strong rural healthcare workforce for the future.”
The Holdrege area has 432 UNMC graduates, and 52 current UNMC students graduated from high schools in the area. During a presentation to the Holdrege Rotary, Dr. Davies outlined UNMC pathway programs designed to attract more rural healthcare workers. He also complimented hospital leadership and expressed optimism about working with them and other community members to continue the vibrancy of the area’s healthcare workforce.
“We are committed to continuing these conversations and supporting Phelps Memorial Health Center as it serves Holdrege and the surrounding region,” Dr. Davies said.