Press Release
LINCOLN - University of Nebraska officials are used to coming before state senators with requests for support.
On Friday, it was the other way around.
A contingent of nine states - including all those representing Northeast Nebraska - joined a group of Norfolk representatives at a meeting of the NU Board of Regents here Friday.
Their goal? To demonstrate widespread support for a proposal to have the University of Nebraska Medical Center create a college of nursing in Norfolk.
The effort was successful because the regents later gave unanimous approval for the med center to proceed with the next phase of the project, which still has several major hurdles to overcome before it becomes reality.
"We wanted to show our commitment to this project," said state Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, who helped coordinate the appearance at the regents' meeting by state senators.
They were joined by representatives of the city of Norfolk, Faith Regional Health Services, the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce, the Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council and Northeast Community College, which is where the proposed nursing division would be located.
Bob Driewer, chief executive officer of Faith Regional, expressed appreciation to the regents for their vote of support.
"This is a truly significant decision for all of the health care providers in the region because it will have a lsting, positive impact on health care delivery at the bedside for years to come in Northeast Nebraska," he said. "I know that every hospital and every patient will benefit from this decision because of this higher level of training that will be available to the nursing staff that practices in these institutions."
Dr. Bill Path, president of Northeast Community College, said Northeast looks forward to its partnership with the med center.
"The big winners will be all the area hospitals and other medical facilities facing work-force shortages in bachelor's- or graduate-trained nurses," he said. "With great anticipation, we embark on this journey with UNMC and look forward to the day when we will open the doors of a new joint nursing facility on the campus of Northeast Community College."
But Norfolk area representatives weren't the only ones pleased with the regents' decision.
Harold Maurer, chancellor of the med center, said a new nursing division in Norfolk would be a great opportunity to serve the citizens of Nebraska and help meet important nursing staffing needs in a populous part of the state.
"It also would contribute to the economic robustness of the region. We're delighted to assist in this effort," he said.
Virginia Tilden, dean of the college of nursing, said she's been impressed by the energy and depth of commitment of the Norfolk community to make the division a reality.
"We are very pleased with the regents' decision to allow us to proceed with a phased sequence of planning steps," she said. "Deliberate and thoughful steps such as this meet UNMC's mission of serving the people of Nebraska with premier educational programs and with high-quality faculty who not only teach but also conduct research and engage in innovative clincial practices."
Flood thanked the regents for recognizing the merits of the nursing proposal and voting to support it.
"Locating a division of the UNMC College of Nursing in Norfolk will save lives and help keep our smaller communities strong," Flood said.
- Story Courtesy of the Norfolk Daily News
