The University of Nebraska System has released the newest episode of its “Shaping the Future” video series, focusing on rural health education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The video series, hosted by President Jeff Gold, features conversations with researchers, students and educators across NU’s four campuses who are changing lives and making an impact.
The episode, a conversation between Gold and Peggy Abels, director of health sciences at UNK, unpacks how the Kearney Health Opportunities Program (KHOP) is helping increase the number of health care professionals in rural Nebraska through a partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Abels outlines the history of the KHOP program, provides details on the program’s successes and impact on rural communities, and shares efforts underway at UNK to get Nebraska students excited about health care careers as early as seventh grade.
“We have a long history of our students going to UNMC to become health care professionals, and in 2010, we were able to formalize that by starting the KHOP program,” Abels said. “We started with just six students, and this past year, we brought in 72 new freshmen for a total of 177 students currently in the program.
“We are excited and so are our students and their families. Many are first-generation and from small, rural communities, so they are grateful for the opportunity to receive a fantastic education and start their careers in central and western Nebraska. The sustainability of rural communities requires quality health care, so this program is a win-win for our students and for the rural communities we serve.”
“Fifty percent of health care professionals will set down their roots within 50 miles of where they finish their education and training,” Gold said. “This is why it’s so critical to have programs like KHOP in rural parts of our state.”
