Dr. Dele Davies discusses rural healthcare workforce at McCook Rotary

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Rotary Club hosted Dr. Dele Davies, interim chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), for a luncheon program last week at McCook Community College’s East Campus. The visit, coordinated with help from UNMC Board of Counselors chair Brian Ash, brought UNMC leaders to southwest Nebraska for two days of meetings with hospital staff, educators, and community partners.

Davies outlined UNMC’s statewide role in training health professionals and its focus on strengthening rural healthcare. He noted that Nebraska is experiencing shortages across many disciplines and said addressing those gaps requires close partnerships with local hospitals, clinics, schools, and preceptors—the professionals who supervise students in real-world settings.

During his presentation, Davies shared several local connections:

• Local training footprint. According to Davies, about 400 healthcare professionals currently living and working in the McCook area were trained by UNMC. He said 48 local preceptors are actively helping teach UNMC students in area clinics and hospitals, and more than 50 students from this region are enrolled in UNMC programs right now.

• Kearney expansion. UNMC is expanding its Health Science Education Complex in Kearney with a $94–95 million project that will roughly double enrollment to more than 600 students. For the first time, medical and pharmacy training will be based in Kearney, alongside expanded allied health and public health programs. Because clinical training occurs across communities, Davies said sites in places like McCook, North Platte, and Scottsbluff will play a key role in hosting students for rotations.

• Pipeline and classroom tools. UNMC is growing its Health Opportunities Programs (HOP and KHOP) that admit Nebraska high-school graduates directly into health-profession tracks. Davies also promoted UNITS—short for UNMC and UNO Building Excellence in Academics Through Science—a free library of short, interactive science modules for grades 6–12 that teachers can use to spark interest in health careers.

Davies and his team also met with leaders from Community Hospital and surrounding facilities to discuss workforce needs, and with K–12 and college educators about counseling, housing, and clinical placement support. Rotary attendees heard how community efforts—such as housing options for rotating students and additional preceptors—can make it more likely that graduates choose to live and work in rural Nebraska.

University of Nebraska Regent Kathy Wilmot joined portions of the visit, which concluded with Rotary’s Four-Way Test and an invitation for continued dialogue as UNMC’s rural training network grows.

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