KEARNEY – Buffalo County Community Partners, a Kearney-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing community health and wellness, will relocate to the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus Sept. 24.
The organization, initiated in 1996 by CHI Health Good Samaritan and founded by 25 community stakeholders, will move from its long-time home at Richard Young Behavioral Health Center to a temporary space in the Memorial Student Affairs Building (MSAB) on the UNK campus.
“We are excited to join the UNK community,” said CEO Denise Zwiener. “Our new location will allow us to collaborate even more closely with UNK’s student health and counseling service – great partners we already work with regularly. Our UNK interns are especially excited about being on campus full time.”
Richard Young Hospital will utilize the space vacated by Community Partners to accommodate four Creighton psychiatry residents as they embark on a new partnership to increase opportunities for the community.
Richard Young will also expand outpatient services to support more therapists and nurse practitioner offices.
“I can’t say enough good things about Community Partners. They’ve taken wellness from an unfamiliar concept 30 years ago to the future of how we care for our communities,” said Curt Coleman, president of Good Samaritan. “We value our continued partnership, that won’t change. We will miss having them on-site, but know their presence will bring the same infectious energy and can-do spirit to UNK.”
“The hospital gifted us space in 1996. It has been an amazing partnership, and we will forever be grateful. Richard Young is growing opportunities for our community. We are very happy for them,” said Zwiener. “There are good reasons to be asked to find new space. Our goal is mutual: to increase access to local mental health services.”
The move to UNK gives the Buffalo County Community Partners Board time to develop a plan for more permanent space and a “storefront” for the organization. In the next year, the board is in search of 5,000 square feet of office space in the Kearney community that offers community meeting space for 50-75 people. Community Partners Board member Dr. Ken Shaffer shared, “Our mission is to build connections among people. We are in search of space that invites our community to work together to solve local problems.”
“We’re excited to welcome Buffalo County Community Partners to our campus,” said interim UNK Chancellor Charlie Bicak. “This partnership will create more opportunities for students to engage in internships and volunteer work, while also expanding access on campus to health and wellness resources.”
Numerous offices and conference spaces were vacated in MSAB in July when several student service units moved to the newly renovated Calvin T. Ryan Library as part of the Loper Success Hub. The UNK offices remaining in MSAB serve Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Health and Counseling and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.
Buffalo County Community Partners has grown significantly since its inception 28 years ago, from just two staff members to 12. The nonprofit organization identifies issues in the community, collects and evaluates data, and invests the time to understand the issues. Community Partners facilitates community conversations to find innovative solutions and connect people to essential resources. Learn more at www.bcchp.org, or contact at 308-865-2284 or info@bcchp.org.
