Nebraska Healthcare News

Columbus Community Hospital is proud to announce that the Columbus Fieldhouse has been selected as an official stop in the 2026 Nebraska Passport Program.

The Community Hospital Health Foundation is proud to announce Sean Wolfe as the recipient of the 2026 Anne Morse Award for Exemplary Volunteer Service, recognizing his outstanding commitment to serving others and strengthening the McCook community. Sean has also been named the May McCook Volunteer of the Month, an honor celebrating individuals who make a meaningful impact through service.

Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center have been asked by federal partners to receive and monitor U.S. citizens from the cruise ship associated with a hantavirus outbreak. These individuals will be observed in the National Quarantine Unit, located on the campus of Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC.

Ellie Stull assumes the role of Director of Specialty Care Clinics effective May 4, 2026. With over two decades of clinical and operational expertise, Ellie has built a distinguished career at Nebraska Medicine, marked by a deep commitment to patient care, staff development, and organizational excellence.

For the 20% of cardiac patients who present with chronic total occlusions (CTOs), Nebraska Medicine offers renewed hope through our dedicated CTO program. Our program leverages the latest technology and specialized expertise to treat these complex cases that many institutions consider untreatable.

Columbus Community Hospital recently announced the winners of its 2026 scholarships. Sixteen local students received $7,800 to further their educations.

Staff Nurse, Abbey Reeves RN of Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s international program that recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary and compassionate care nurses provide every day.  

CHI Health Good Samaritan and Safe Kids Platte Valley will provide new bike helmets to the public from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, June 1 at the Kearney Public Library, 2020 First Avenue. The event takes place in conjunction with the library’s Summer Reading Kick-off.

CHI Health Good Samaritan has scheduled a service commemorating the lives of babies stillborn, miscarried or who have died in infancy. The hospital’s annual Infant Memorial Service will take place at 3 pm on Sunday, June 7 at the City of Kearney Cemetery, on the east side of the grounds.

The Community Hospital Health Foundation has provided funding for new QCPR Manikins to enhance hands-on training in Community Hospital’s Clinical Education program.

The new Behavioral Health and Wellness Center at Children’s Nebraska is Omaha offers a "no wrong door" policy for self-referral and a seamless continuum of mental health services for children and teens, positioned right alongside primary care — a deliberate signal that mental health and physical health are inseparable.

Access to quality healthcare is a key factor in what makes communities vibrant, livable, and well-positioned for growth.

Jefferson Community Health & Life has been named by Becker's Hospital Review as one of 100 noteworthy hospitals in its annual “Critical Access Hospitals to Know” list.

A program to help local cancer patients with items such as hair, wigs, prosthetics, makeup and other concerns is the focus of the 2026 Cancer Walk & Butterfly Release.

CHI Health St. Francis Foundation invites emergency medical first responder departments across Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Howard and Merrick counties to submit applications for grant funding. Supported by the Foundation’s annual Ticket to Win fundraising raffle, these grants provided resources for emergency medical training, supplies and equipment. The deadline for submission is Friday, June 12.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Kearney today formally celebrated the opening of the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex in Kearney, the largest rural healthcare teaching facility in the country, and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to strengthening Nebraska’s healthcare workforce.

Volunteer motorcyclists will travel over 1,000 miles across Nebraska, collecting letters written by youth and raising awareness about children’s mental health. The ride will start on Wednesday, May 13, in Scottsbluff and finish on Saturday, May 16, on the North steps of the Nebraska State Capitol, where the riders will deliver these letters to Dr. Thomas Janousek, Division of Behavioral Health Director within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

The University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Kearney will celebrate the opening of the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex in Kearney, the largest rural healthcare teaching facility in the country. The $115 million complex expands UNMC’s academic footprint in Kearney and includes the new three-story, 110,000-square-foot Health Science Education Center II, which opened in January, along with the original Health Science Education Center I that opened in 2015.

CHI Health St. Francis, in partnership with CHI Health Clinic: Nebraska Heart Institute, is offering a free community education session, “Born in 1962, This Seminar is for YOU! Navigating the Medicare Maze—Clear answers to your next chapter!,” on Thursday, May 28 at 6:30 pm. The session will be held in Conference Room 2/3 at the hospital.

Patients with psoriasis and eczema now have a new option for reducing inflammation at Columbus Dermatology Clinic.

CHI Health Nebraska Heart announced today it has been named a 2026 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ recipient by Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use to find a doctor or hospital. This achievement reflects Nebraska Heart’s commitment to superior, patient-centered care and puts the organization in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide for patient experience. This is the fourth consecutive year Nebraska Heart has received this recognition, reaffirming the hospital’s ongoing commitment to providing patients in Lincoln and surrounding communities with the highest quality care.

An unexpected illness or medical emergency can quickly turn life upside down. Beyond the physical and emotional toll, patients and families often face sudden financial stress related to travel, missed work, household expenses, or other non-medical needs that arise while focusing on treatment and recovery.

CHI Health Good Samaritan, in partnership with the S.A.F.E. Center, is pleased to announce upcoming training focused on community violence prevention. The public, alongside Good Samaritan staff and volunteers, are invited to participate in a free session.

For patients with organ failure, transplantation remains the most effective, and often lifesaving, treatment. Yet access to transplant continues to lag far behind need, particularly in kidney disease. Deceased donation plays a central role in closing that gap.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. affecting one in five people according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Mary Lanning Healthcare received reaccreditation recently by the Joint Commission as a Certified Primary Stroke Center. The MLH Stroke Program has been accredited since 2011.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center has formally established the Office for the Advancement of Military Medicine (OMM), a new institutional office that will facilitate UNMC’s military medicine, biodefense and civilian-military health integration programming and work to develop new initiatives in this space.

CHI Health St. Francis invites the community to its FREE Summer Safety Spectacular from 5 to 7 pm on Thursday, May 21 in the hospital’s parking lot. 

When it comes to patient safety, CHI Health St. Elizabeth has achieved the highest Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. As an “A” rated hospital, this means the team at St. Elizabeth sets the standard for excellence in patient care, being recognized for their ability to protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries, and infections.

Platte Valley Medical Clinic has been recognized with the Murj CARE (Cardiology Achievement and Recognition of Excellence) Award, a national honor celebrating outstanding performance in the management of Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices (CIEDs).