03-04-2025
Project Health's transformational impact will help all of Nebraska
Artist's rendering of the $85 million medical school proposed at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (Courtesy of University of Nebraska at Kearney)
Nebraska's healthcare system is deeply interconnected, with rural hospitals relying on partnerships with academic medical centers and tertiary hospitals in Omaha and Lincoln.
While rural hospitals serve as the frontline of care for their communities, they depend on our urban medical centers for advanced specialty care, training and research. This collaboration ensures that patients statewide have access to vital local care backed by nation-leading facilities and specialists.
Over the past two decades, the University of Nebraska Medical Center has strategically expanded its rural initiatives through medical education, research and clinical care in partnership with Nebraska Medicine.
This includes innovative facilities like the Davis Global Center, with world-class clinical simulation training and the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, which advances life-saving research and treatment. These institutions have revolutionized training and care for infectious disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Now, UNMC is taking its next step forward with Project Health, a landmark public-private partnership that will have a transformative impact on Nebraska.
This project, the largest to date for the University of Nebraska System, will create a new $2.19 billion health care facility at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine that will serve as a clinical learning center to educate and train the next generation of health care providers.
Biomedical scientists will conduct world-class medical research and provide clinical trials to hone prevention and treatment methods for all Nebraskans and beyond.
Our state has tremendous needs when it comes to healthcare. Many counties in western and central Nebraska have no or few primary care physicians. And projections show that Nebraska will experience a workforce shortage of over 5,000 nurses this year alone. It's vital for Nebraska to have a robust long-term training pipeline for doctors, nurses and other health professionals, and Project Health addresses that need.
Project Health will expand enrollment across UNMC's educational programs to meet workforce demands. It also will notably support UNMC's partnership with the University of Nebraska at Kearney Health Sciences Education Complex, where over 300 nursing, allied health and public health students soon will train alongside medical students and physicians at the new Rural Health Education Building.
Additionally, Project Health will expand rural clinical rotations and medical education, ensuring that health professionals are prepared in rural hospitals and clinics — a key indicator of a physician practicing in a rural community after their residency training.
Over the course of Project Health's construction through 2033, Nebraska will see a projected economic impact of $3.2 billion. Once complete, the initiative's annual contribution to Nebraska's economy is expected to exceed $1.5 billion.
Project Health is the first step of several within a larger initiative — Project NExT, short for Nebraska Transformation. In 2020, our Legislature voted to support Project NExT to address Nebraska's healthcare workforce shortage. Now, the University of Nebraska is ready to move forward with key steps to bring this vision into reality.
For a transformative project of this scale, public and private support are vital. Project Health is supported through a partnership that includes funding from state appropriations, private philanthropy, local government support and institutional investments. This wide-ranging support shows broad consensus for strengthening Nebraska's future healthcare capability. By supporting the state's investment in Project Health, the Unicameral helps ensure that Nebraskans, no matter where they live, have access to high-quality, affordable care.
Project Health is the first step, but the vision for Project NExT is much broader — it will create a thriving and ever-changing workforce pipeline that meets the evolving needs of our state.
Project Health serves multiple statewide goals — as a commitment to the well-being of Nebraskans, a driver of economic development and an investment returning benefits to the state for generations. After all, strong rural health makes for a strong rural Nebraska, ensuring communities remain vibrant and sustainable. UNMC is ready to move forward with next steps, in a spirit of innovation and dedication, to serve all of Nebraska and its healthcare needs.
Jed Hansen is the executive director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association. He has been an advanced practice provider with CHI Health and has a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
